Professor Layton and the Affection Reconfiguration
by athenax123
Summary: Professor Layton is taking a break from solving cases when a letter from DC Lucy Baker at Scotland Yard appears in his letterbox, concerning his son, Alfendi. Join Professor Layton as he meets his son again for the first time in 9 years and join Scotland Yard as they tackle their most scandalous case yet... (Lucifendi) Dedicated to Callie:) Do leave reviews! :D
1. The Mysterious Letter

Welcome to my new story! I do hope you enjoy this, and if you are going to read on, please do leave reviews and comments as I'd love to read them! I need areas to improve on, so that would be an awesome opportunity! :)

AthenaX

* * *

Professor Layton and Luke sat in a well-lit office located at the end of the Archeology corridor at Gressenheller University. Luke had his body splayed across the sofa, both of his legs dangling over the arm of the chair as he flicked, absent-mindedly, through his new collection of Sherlock Holmes novels that his father had bought him a while back as a moving present. A crystal chandelier swayed to and fro, glimmering in the light reflecting off it, illuminating every inch of the room as he read, tinkling softly. The busy London streets were just outside the window, sirens blaring and cars honking, indicating the annoyances of people who were trying to get to work on time.

Professor Layton held a mug of tepid tea in his hands, his hat balancing precariously on his head as he bent to take a sip of the warm liquid. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his eyes flicking over to where Luke was lying on the sofa.

"Luke." he said, setting down his mug of tea, "A gentleman never puts his legs up like that on a sofa."

"I'm sorry, Professor." Luke mumbled, swinging his legs off the sofa and onto the floor, "It's just so comfortable and I don't have a great sofa like this at home."

Layton chuckled.

"Well, I have a foot rest if you'd like it." he said, with a small smile, reaching under his desk.

Luke sighed and set his book down on the table.

"It's almost like you live here, Professor." he said, reaching for the biscuit tin on the table, "I could ask for a toothbrush and you would have one here!"

Layton sighed.

"Well, what can I say my boy?" he said, getting up and looking straight out of the window, "I'm very busy these days."

Luke munched on the biscuit, crumbs scattering onto his blue jumper and tumbling down onto his grey shorts.

"Speaking of being busy," he said, mouth full of a custard cream biscuit, "We haven't had a case to solve in ages, Professor!"

"Pity." said Layton, smiling, "I really did enjoy our little trips around town, solving mysteries."

A small silence echoed through the room.

"That sounded a lot like sarcasm, Professor." said Luke, looking up at him, earnestly.

Layton paused for a moment.

"Oh come now, Luke." he said, "I was being quite serious, you know."

Luke grinned and at that moment, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." said Layton, walking to the door, adjusting his hat as he did so.

An elderly woman stood at the door, her greying hair twisted up into a messy bun. Her spectacles were perched on her nose and the oversized frames made her look like an owl that had terrible cataracts. She held a parchment coloured envelope in her hands and a copy of the local newspaper was tucked under her arm.

"Letter for you, Professor Layton." she said, handing him the envelope.

"Thank you, Rosa." he said, smiling and closing the door after her.

"What is that, Professor?" asked Luke, getting up from the sofa, his hand still in the biscuit tin.

"It appears to be a letter, postmarked from the London Metropolitan Police Station." said Layton, turning it over and reaching for his penknife.

"Ooh!" said Luke, scooting over to the desk and perching himself on a chair to get a closer look at what was in the letter, "I wonder what is in it!"

"Let's see. "said Layton, unfolding the letter and leaning forward in his chair slightly.

 _Dear Professor Hershel Layton,_

 _My name is DC Lucy Baker and I work for Scotland Yard in the Criminal Cases Division. I am writing to you today about a puzzling case that I cannot seem to deal with on my own. It's about my boss, your son, Alfendi._

 _He has been very distant from me recently and is always throwing himself into violent outbursts of rage and I can't seem to figure out why. All his other colleagues and I solved a mystery concerning this a few days ago, but I'm still puzzled as to why he is actually like this. I thought that if anyone were to know best about this, it would be you._

 _He is always talking about his mother and how much he misses her. He keeps telling me that she lives somewhere else and that she will come back for him one day...I really want to help him._

 _You see, Professor…. I love the man. He has been my hero and inspiration from day one and I simply cannot imagine life without him. Surely you know what that feels like? It pains me to see him so distant and the only time we really interact anymore is when he smiles at me when I walk into the office in the morning._

 _I do hope to hear back from you soon. It would really mean the world to Al if you came by to speak to him._

 _Eagerly anticipating your reply._

 _DC Lucy Baker. (Scotland Yard)_

"DC Lucy Baker?" asked Luke, peering over Layton's shoulder to look closely at the letter, "I think that's probably my cousin who wrote to you."

"Your cousin?" repeated Layton, staring blankly at the letter.

"Yes." said Luke, "She majored in criminology at university and now she's working for Scotland Yard. It's always been her dream."

"Alfendi…." mumbled Layton.

"Professor, are you alright?" asked Luke, nervously, "You look shaken."

"My son…." he muttered.

"Er…." stammered Luke, "Are you sure you're alright, Professor? We can go meet Lucy tomorrow if you'd like?"

"W-what?" stuttered Layton, "Ah yes, of course we can."

Luke got up out of the chair and stood in front of Layton.

"Are you sure you're alright, Professor?" he asked, once again.

"I haven't seen the boy in 9 years." he whispered.


	2. A Startling Confession

Sorry this chapter is so short...been a bit busy with stuff like exams :/ But I hope you enjoy this chapter! Do leave comments! :)

AthenaX

PS: Isn't Alfendi adorable?

* * *

Lucy Baker sat in the office of the Mystery Room, her legs crossed up in the office chair she was sitting on. Her orange cap was perched gracefully on top of her straight orange hair and a gentle breeze flew into the room through the open window. She had open a romantic novel in front of her and she sighed happily as she read about the perfection of the men and women present in the novel.

She looked up as she heard the front door swing open. Florence Sich came rolling in.

"Mornin' Florence." said Lucy, almost sounding disappointed that the Prof hadn't walked in.

"Morning Lu- ACHOO!" sneezed Florence, "Lucy."

Lucy smiled and went back to her book, the slight curls of her hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Now come on Lu." said Florence, "You can't be moping around the office all day. Al's bound to come round soon! You know how he is!"

"Thanks Florence." said Lucy, putting down her book, "I jus' wonder why he's being so distant all of a sudden. Almost like he hates everyone or summat."

"Well the minute Potty Prof waltzes in, I'm out of here- ACHOO!" said Florence, placing her case files on the table, "And at any rate, I've got a lot of work for you; seeing as you read the majority of the time you're in here!"

"Hmm." said Lucy, looking slightly disgruntled.

"I'll see you later, Lu." said Florence, rolling out of the office and shutting the door behind her.

"There's nowt I can do right now about the Prof." thought Lucy to herself, "He's just going to have to come around."

She went back to her book and a few minutes later, the door flew open and Alfendi Layton came in, maroon hair untidy and unkempt. His lab coat flew out behind him as he threw his bag onto the chair nearby, a flustered look spreading across his face. Lucy stared at him, the wonderful man he was and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for how stressed out he was.

"Mornin' Prof!" said Lucy, trying to make her voice sound as cheerful as possible.

"Ah Lucy." said Alfendi, turning to look at her, a pleasant smile crossing over his face, "How are you doing?"

"I….er…" stammered Lucy, a bit taken aback by his sudden change in demeanour, "I'm fine, Prof and you?"

"Good." replied Alfendi, "I see you're still reading that book of yours?"

Lucy turned it around and looked at the cover, as if she had forgotten the name of the novel. She was surprised to see that Alfendi had been paying attention to her these past few days, even though it wasn't so obvious.

"Oh yeah….I…."

"You've had that book for about a week now." said Alfendi, with a slight twinkle in his eye, "In fact, according to my deductions, I'm 98.7% sure that you should have finished reading it by now."

"Oh you and your famous deductions, Prof." snapped Lucy, suddenly, "Where've you been all this time, eh?"

"Excuse me, Lucy?" said Alfendi, his eyes and hair both darkening slightly.

"Oh cool it, Prof." said Lucy, her hair almost standing on end, "You haven't said a word to me all week! What's been going on with you?"

"Lucy!" snapped Alfendi, his hair darkening to it's fullest extent and voice raising, "Raise your tone at me one more time and I will cut out your tongue."

"You don't mean that." said Lucy, feeling her eyes beginning to water and quickly getting up out of her chair, she walked to the window.

Alfendi buried his face in his hands, sweating slightly as his hair returned to its normal colour.

"Lu." he murmured, "I'm sorry…. I just haven't been feeling well this week."

"Well you could have told me that!" she said, swiveling around, her orange hat nearly falling off her head. Her face was flushed red and her eyes had a slightly glazed look in them. She was shaking slightly.

Alfendi sighed. He knew that she was the only one that withstood his rapid personality changes. In fact, she was the only one who hadn't run screaming for the hills or threatened to call in the police when he had one of his moments. Heck, she'd even stood up for him when everyone thought that he had murdered Keelan Makepeace on the top of Forbodium Castle that night.

She was the only one who believed him and now he could see that he was putting a serious strain on their relationship by not communicating with her. There was something about her quiet nature that drew him to her instantly.

"I didn't want you to worry." he finally replied, his voice lowering to a near whisper.

"Oh for heaven sake, Prof!" she said in a high, exasperated tone, walking up to him, her face inches from his, "I care about you, okay? I've been sat here, not able to do any of my work because I've been thinking about you the whole darn time!"

Lucy quickly backed up, realising what she had just said. Alfendi's eyes widened and his lips parted as he looked at her. Her face burst into a furious blush and her cheeks were rapidly painted over with the deepest shade of red.

He took a few steps closer to her and took one of her hands in his, face inches from hers. He looked down into her eyes; more carefully than he had ever done before and realised that they were the most perfect shade of blue and green, swirled together.

"Prof….I…." she stammered.

He reached up and stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand. She blushed even harder; if that was possible.

"You've been thinking about me?" he whispered, his voice lilting with hopeful undertones.


	3. An Awaited Reunion

"Come on, Professor! We're going to be late!"

Luke ushered Professor Layton out of his office the next morning, as they were heading to meet Lucy, Luke's cousin. She had specifically asked to meet them at a nearby café, as she didn't want to draw attention to them just yet, inviting him to Scotland Yard. As she put it over the phone, she didn't want "old goons making such a grand fuss over the great Professor Layton!"

"Now Luke." said Layton, fixing his top hat while simultaneously trying to run after Luke, "A gentleman never hurries others."

"Oh but Professor!" said Luke, a slight whine in his voice, "I haven't seen Lucy in ages!"

Luke walked ahead, a slight skip in his step. Layton walked a few inches behind him, placing his hands in his pockets and immediately taking them out again. A little less than a million thoughts were running through his mind as he followed Luke to the café. What if Alfendi was there? He wouldn't know how to react as they had been so distant for years. What if Alfendi didn't want to see him?

"Professor?" said a voice out of the blue, "Are you sure you're okay?"

It was Luke, who had stopped in front of him to take a good look at his face.

"Yes Luke." said Layton, "I'm fine."

"We can cancel, if you'd like?" said Luke, "You can call her on the phone here?"

He gestured to a nearby phone booth which stood in the middle of the street, the red paint illuminated in the light.

"N-no." said Layton, straightening his jacket, "Let's go and meet Lucy."

A few moments later, they turned a street corner and saw a cute little café perched in the middle of the road. The sign showed a smiling coffee mug and a few inches away stood a young girl with an orange cap and a green coat. Her white trousers clung to her skinny legs as she fiddled nervously with her orange hair. Layton breathed a sigh of relief to see that his son was not there, but his heart ached a little, as no matter how much their relationship was strained, he wished to see his son again for the first time in nine years.

"Lucy!" yelled Luke, sprinting down the street and crashing straight into his cousin.

"Oh little Luke!" she squealed, kneeling down and hugging him tightly, "You haven't grown a bit, lad and I love that!"

"Oh I've grown alright, Lucy!" said Luke, standing on his tiptoes, "I'm almost as tall as you are!"

"Ah you wish, lad!" scoffed Lucy, "I'm glad to see you're doing alright!"

Layton walked up and smiled at the pair of them together. If only Alfendi was here, their reunion may have gone something like this.

"And you're Professor Layton!" said Lucy, finally standing up and offering her hand proudly to Layton, "It's such a pleasure to finally meet the man who raised Alfendi!"

Layton smiled at her warmly and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Baker." said Layton, smiling at her, "And my, may I say that you and Luke both share your love of those hats that you wear!"

Lucy grinned.

"Well, I'm sure you're itching to meet your son, but I have to talk to you first." she said, earnestly, "I'm worried about him."

"Of course, Ms Baker." said Layton, "Shall we enter this delightful café?"

"Yes!" she said, "And Professor, please call me Lucy!"

She walked into the café, her arms wrapped around Luke's shoulder.

"So that's what it's like to be close knit." thought Layton, "If only Alfendi and I shared that special relationship as much as I do with Flora and Katrielle."

"Prof." said Lucy, as they sat down, "What would you like?"

"Prof?" grinned Luke, as he sat down next to his cousin, "That's new, isn't it Professor?"

"Indeed." smiled Layton.

"Oh by heck, I'm so sorry Professor." stammered Lucy, "Do forgive me, I call Alfendi that most of the time while we're in't office."

"You call my son that?" said Layton, "I'm sure you'll find he's an inspector."

"Ah yes I know." said Lucy, beckoning to the waiter nearby, "He mentioned the same thing when I called him Prof on my first day."

"What did he say, Lu?" asked Luke, scanning the menu.

"He said that you Professor," she said, nodding at Layton, "would probably not approve, since you were an actual Professor, aye?"

"Well yes." said Layton, wishing to meet his son more and more as time passed on.

"Funny that." said Luke, "They sound so similar in demeanour that one would probably say the same thing in that situation!"

Lucy grinned as the waiter came over to take their orders.

"I'll have a hot chocolate, please sir." she said, smiling, "Luke? Professor? What would you like? It's on me."

"Oh that's very kind of you, Ms Baker, but I simply must pay." said Layton.

Lucy smiled and blushed slightly.

"You match Alfendi so well." she said, a slight dreamy look in her eyes, "Well…when he's Placid most of the time."

"What do you mean, Placid-" began Layton.

"Oh I'll have the Victoria Sponge and ice cream sundae!" said Luke to the waiter, "Since you're paying, Lu!"

"Oh you cheeky so and so." grinned Lucy, "I see that you haven't lost your sweet tooth at all!"

"And I'll just have an Earl Grey tea myself, thank you." said Layton, handing the menu back to the waiter.

"I'll be back with your beverages shortly." said the waiter, gathering their menu's up and leaving.

"Earl Grey?" thought Lucy, "Interesting."


	4. Conversations Over Coffee

Lucy, Professor Layton and Luke sat in the corner of the Battered Bun café as the evening slowly passed on. Lucy sipped her hot chocolate, after waiting around thirty minutes for it to cool down to a lukewarm temperature. Professor Layton had almost finished his tea and was staring absent-mindedly at an empty sugar packet lying on a saucer. Luke, however, was only half-way through his sundae, a single drop of ice-cream on his nose as his mouth bulged with the Victoria cake.

"Luke." said Layton, smiling at him, "You have food on your face. Surely you know that's no way for a gentleman to behave in public?"

"I'm s-sorry *gobble* Prof-f-fesor." said Luke, struggling to swallow his food as he wolfed it down rapidly.

"Steady on there, chap." giggled Lucy, trying to brush the ice cream off his nose, "You're going to get the ol' hiccups if you eat too quick!"

Luke grinned and carried on delving into his dessert.

"So, Ms Baker," said Layton, leaning forward, placing his arms on the table, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Lucy nervously put down her hot chocolate. She had unconsciously been trying to avoid this conversation, but she knew that now it was inevitable.

"It's about the Prof- I mean, Alfendi." she said, correcting herself quickly.

"Go on." said Layton, adjusting his hat.

"He hasn't been himself, lately." she said, nervously twisting her hands around in her lap, "You probably know that he has personality changes and whatnot."

"Yes." sighed Layton, "To be completely honest, Alfendi and I did not have a great relationship whilst he was growing up."

"What happened?" asked Lucy, "Did he have these personality issues back then or summat?"

Layton quickly shot a glance at Luke, realising that he possibly couldn't tell Lucy the truth with him being there.

"Luke, my boy." said Layton, abruptly, "Would you mind leaving me and Lucy for a bit?"

"Of course, Professor!" said Luke, quickly finshing his ice-cream, "I have to run a few errands for my father."

"Thank you, Luke." said Layton.

"See you at home, kiddo." said Lucy, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as he rushed to the door.

Luke retreated out of the door, his blue cap flying in the wind.

"So what did you want to say, Professor?" she asked, looking back at him, crossing her legs underneath the table.

"Alfendi was a difficult child, growing up." said Layton, looking down at his almost empty tea-cup, "But I surmise that as being mostly my fault. I was always away in my office, working late hours into the night and never managed to spend quite enough time with him."

Lucy looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern.

"What happened to his mam then?" she asked, looking straight at Layton.

Layton sighed and took a deep breath.

"She died when he was very little." said Layton, his breathing quickening, "She was very ill for quite a while, but she gave me strict orders not to tell Alfendi anything about her condition."

"Give over!" said Lucy, her eyes widening, "But he always talks about her!"

"When? How…?" stammered Layton, "Has he ever said anything directly to you?"

"No…" murmurs Lucy, embarrassedly looking down at her hands again, "I hear him repeating the word 'mama' in his sleep."

There was a small silence that filled the air around them.

"But he knows that she passed away." said Layton, looking thoroughly confused, "He visited her grave week after week until he couldn't take it anymore."

"So I guess he's murmuring her name in his sleep because he misses her?" asked Lucy, "But that's odd because the other day when I walked into the office, I saw him sleeping and he mumbled something about his mother still being alive and well in another country."

Layton nearly choked on his tea.

"W-what did y-you say?" he spluttered.

"He mentioned his mother whilst sleeping the other day." she muttered.

"But...he knows she died!" said Layton, growing even more agitated, "This doesn't make any sense!"

"Exactly, and that's why I called you over." said Lucy, reaching for his hand, "You don't realise what he is going through at the moment and he needs you more than ever. You need to explain to him that his mother is no longe-"

"Lucy, dear," he muttered, "It's not that simple-"

"Yes it is!" she interrupted, her voice rising slightly, "Don't you understand? By not being there for the lad, he's gone down this dark path!"

"It's not like that…." stammered Layton, his face growing pale.

"I wonder why you always take my cousin everywhere you go." said Lucy, her eyes firing up slightly, "Why couldn't you take your own son?"

"He wasn't well!" said Layton, his voice rising too. Lucy immediately fell silent as she looked at Layton, realising that she had struck an immediate cord.

"W-what do you mean, he wasn't well?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"He had always been unstable." said Layton, "Any sort of violent threat would make him flare up and lose control. He would become a different person and he would always constantly scare my two daughters, Flora and Katrielle by becoming this other person."

"But…" stuttered Lucy.

"We took him to one of my colleagues who performed a hypnosis on him so that he would not show this different persona again." said Layton, tears forming in his eyes, "I begged my wife not to interfere with Alfendi, but she refused and took him."

"Then what happened?" asked Lucy.

"His other persona was suppressed for a long time, until the death of his mother." said Layton, a single tear rolling down his cheek, "Then it all came back. The violence, the death threats, everything."

Lucy remained silent, taking in every word that Layton was saying.

"Flora and Katrielle could not take it anymore." he said, "They refused to speak to him and that's when he took off. Aged just 25, he joined Scotland Yard and moved rapidly up in the ranks."

"So you're saying that when that incident at Forbodium happened-?" inquired Lucy, her eyes wide.

"His other personality was brought out again." said Layton, burying his face in his hands.

"Justin…." whispered Lucy.

"What?" asked Layton.

"Justin was the one who read that book to Alfendi whilst he was in a coma." she whispered, tears filling her eyes, "He was the one responsible for the Prof's change in state."

A dreadful silence filled the air.

"Does this mean that all memories of his mother had vanished when he was in that coma?" said Lucy, voicing her thoughts, "So that means he doesn't know that she passed-"

"No." whispered Layton, his voice hushed and low, "This is all my fault. If I hadn't neglected him as my son, none of this would have happened."

"No!" said Lucy, her voice shocked, "None of this was your fault, Professor!"

Another short silence filled the air as Lucy placed one of her hands on Layton's.

"You can rectify this, you know?" she said, looking up at Layton.

"How?" he murmured, tears streaming out of his eyes, "He doesn't want to see me. Every time I go to speak to him, he always pushes me away, shouting that he never wants to see me ever again."

"He does want to see you." she said, looking earnestly at him, "He always has that longing look in his eyes."

"How do I know that he wants to see me, dear?" asked Layton, looking up at her, after what seemed like an eternity.

Lucy looked carefully at the Professor. He was a man who clearly wanted a better relationship with his son. A second chance at being a father and she knew that he was being completely honest and sincere about it all.

"You're coming with me to t'office tomorrow." she said, decisively.


	5. Night Into Day

Hey! Thanks to my readers for reading this far, honestly it means a lot to me that you've been reading this! If you guys could share this around and leave views, I'd be even more grateful as I need feedback for this! Thanks again!

AthenaX

* * *

Lucy had bid Professor Layton goodnight and had rushed back to Scotland Yard to gather the rest of her things from the Mystery Room. She quietly slipped her key into the lock and slid through the door, shutting it quietly behind her.

Sure enough, all the lights were switched off except for the desk lamp that illuminated the Prof's desk. She peered through the dusk to make out the hazy figure of the Prof, slouched over his desk, his head in his arms, resting on top of a pile of case files. He stirred in his sleep as he mumbled inaudibly, the light from the desk lamp shining on his face, his purple ponytail slipping behind his shoulders.

Lucy looked at the Prof, tears forming in her eyes. How she dearly wished that this man would open up to her and tell her everything. Suddenly, the Prof began to stir, moaning in his sleep. He began to writhe uncontrollably as his body moved as if contorting in agony.

"Mama….no…." he groaned, pronouncing each syllable, "Papa, please help me…I….."

Lucy stood transfixed, her feet firmly rooted into the floor. She felt her body go extremely rigid as she stared at the Prof, shaking slightly.

"Pull yourself together, Baker lass!" she thought, scrunching her fists together, "You have to look out for him."

A few moments later, he stopped squirming and returned to his normal resting state. Lucy quickly rushed to grab her keys and coat from the cabinet and placed them on the chair by the door to the Mystery Room. She was just about to wake the Prof up, putting him out of his misery, when suddenly:

"LUCY!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the room, making the birds outside screech loudly and fly away. He began thrashing wildly this time, moaning and mumbling her name, muttering something about it all being okay.

Lucy stood in terror, not knowing what to do. This had been the worst state that the Prof had been in for months and now she was panicking. He screamed loudly again and that was when she rushed forward, kneeled down next to his chair so that they were shoulder level and shook his shoulders, hard.

"Prof!" she yelled, tears forming in her eyes at the state of the man in front of her, "Please, wake up! I'm here!"

Alfendi opened his eyes, his forehead sweaty and his eyes wide and unblinking.

"L-Lucy?" he stammered, his eyes widening and his breath quickening.

"It's me, Prof!" she repeated, urgently, "I'm here!"

He stared at her as if she were from another planet. Of course she was here, she always was there for him. Her presence, her sweet aroma of vanilla mixed with macadamia was everything to him, even though she didn't realise it. The moonlight reflected off her oval face, her eyes gleaming in the darkness and the light showed a worried look that was etched across her beautiful face. Placid stared at her for a few moments, his breathing and heart rate slowly down rapidly as he continued to look at her.

And then Potty Prof came along and completely shattered the moment. He stood up, his hair and eyes darkening in colour as he stared at Lucy, a sneer passing across his face.

"You've been gone for five hours, Lucy." he snarled, "Where have you been?"

"I went out for dinner, Prof." Lucy said, her voice shaking slightly.

"For five hours, Lucy?" he snapped angrily, "I'm not that stupid, you know."

"I met with a friend from university and we got talking." said Lucy, remaining calm under Potty's penetrating gaze.

"You couldn't have held off, could you?" he sneered, "While you were busy running your darn mouth, I was back here trying to solve these cases!"

He angrily gestured to the open case files on his desk.

"Aye." said Lucy, her face determined, "Well I'm sorry I have such a big mouth, Prof."

That seemed to shut Potty up for a moment. An awkward silence filled the room.

"I was just worried about you…" said Placid, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "It hits 8 at night and you're still not back; what am I supposed to do?"

Lucy looked at him, slightly struck by his honesty but she quickly returned to her normal frame of mind.

"Well I didn't want you to worry." she said, looking him directly in the eye.

Alfendi looked up at her, registering the fact that she had just reprimanded him with his own words earlier that week. Before he had a chance to reply, she had picked up her coat and keys and had stormed out of the door.

"Lucy…" he mumbled, running a hand absent-mindedly through his purple hair, "Don't go."

* * *

The next day, Layton walked into the brightly lit halls of Scotland Yard where upon arrival, he met a smartly dressed blonde woman, who tottered around in her high heels with her blue coat slung around her shoulders, making her look like a bizarre superhero. She had a large stack of case files underneath her arm as she looked down the bridge of her pointy nose at the Professor.

"Good morning, sir." she said, curtly, "May I help you?"

"Ah yes, good morning, Madam." said Layton, "I'm looking for Detective Constable Lucy Baker?"

"Ah yes, she's just through there." said the woman, pointing down the hall, "My name is Hilda Pertinax. Do feel free to give me a shout, should you need anything."

Layton tipped his hat to her.

"I shall do." he said, "Thank you madam."

As he walked off in the direction of the Mystery Room, Hilda stared curiously at him.

"He looked so familiar." she thought to herself, "I have seen him somewhere before."

Layton reached the door to the Mystery Room and knocked on it, his palms and brow sweaty. A head popped round the door almost instantaneously. It was Lucy, her eyes wide and cap askew on her head.

"Ah Prof, do come in." she said, opening the door and ushering him in quickly.

Layton stepped into the room and the sight that greeted him flooded his brain. There were newspapers from different publications strewn all over the office and there was a lab coat hung over the desk chair. A dim light bulb swung to and fro from the ceiling while a fly buzzed continuously against the window pane.

"Thank you for coming." said Lucy, a grateful tone lining her voice as she looked at him.

"My pleasure, Ms Baker." said Layton, taking a seat on the chair opposite the door, "Is….Al….Alfendi here?"

"He should be here any moment now." said Lucy, twisting her hands together and looking nervously at the door.

"I really do hope that I can talk to him properly." said Layton, a melancholy look passing briefly across his face, "I do love him so, Ms Baker."

A small silence passed through the room as Lucy looked at Layton.

"I know you do." she murmured, "And I do too."

"Lucy?" said Layton, looking up at her.

"Yes?" she replied.

"My son is very lucky to have a friend like you." he said, smiling.

She smiled back as the door began to rattle. They both heard the sound of a key being placed in the lock and the door swung open. Layton gazed, transfixed at the door as the slender figure of Alfendi stepped through the door.

"Lucy, I really want to apologise for yes-" he began but stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed his father sitting in front of him.

"Alfendi." said Layton, his eyes clouding with tears.

"What are **_you_** doing here?" growled Alfendi, his hair darkening in colour as his eyes flicked dangerously from his father to Lucy in maddened state of pure confusion.


	6. Emotional Meetings

Hey! Hope you like this chapter...foreword though, the scene does get slightly intense, so be wary :)  
Share this around and leave comments! I'd love the feedback!

AthenaX

* * *

"I'm going to ask one more time," growled Alfendi, his hair darkening and his eyes flickering maliciously from Lucy to Layton, "What are you doing here?"

"Alfendi, please." said Layton, slowly rising to his feet, "I was hoping that we could talk- "

"There's nothing to talk about." said Alfendi, bitterly, "Unless you want to apologise for completely abandoning me for the last nine years of my life, then sure, by all means go right ahead."

Potty was unleashed to the max, pacing around the room like an angry lion that had just been denied its dinner.

"Lucy?" he whispered in hushed, deathly tones, "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"I…." she gulped," I thought it would be good for you to-"

"Ah of course." laughed Alfendi, his eyes glinting maniacally, "You thought it would be good for me to meet my father again."

"Prof, please…." began Lucy, her hands twisting together in anxiety.

"Didn't it cross your silly mind that we'd avoided each other for obvious reasons?" spat Potty, his voice rising with every syllable that he spoke, "No, you always have to do what you think is right."

"Prof…" whispered Lucy, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. She had never been shouted at like this by the Prof and it was scaring her more than she could handle.

"Alfendi!" said Layton, loudly, cutting across his son's harsh, dulcet tones, "That is no way for a gentleman to behave-"

"Oh SHUT UP!" yelled Alfendi, slamming his palm against his forehead, "Or do I have to cut your tongue out in order for you to be quiet?!"

"Tell me, Al." said Layton, trying to keep calm, "Have you ever carried out these death threats before?"

"Would you like to find out?" snarled Potty, advancing closer and closer to Layton, like a predator closing in on it's prey.

"STOP!" screamed Lucy, "P-Please…."

"Lucy!" screeched Potty, "Don't you think you've done enough damage for one day? Stay OUT of this!"

"Alfendi!" snapped Layton, "Do not shout at Ms Baker; a gentleman never-"

"Oh ENOUGH with the gentleman nonsense!" yelled Alfendi, his voice tearing through the fragile atmosphere in the room and shattering it completely.

Lucy and Layton looked utterly speechless, as Potty sharply intook his breath before completely exploding in anger.

"You were NEVER there for me growing up!" he screamed, "The only people who were there for me were Mama and Katrielle!"

"What about Flo-" began Lucy, nervously.

"Flora was never one of us." said Alfendi, bitterly, "And didn't I tell you to shut your trap?"

Lucy fell silent immediately.

"And that boy you spend almost all your time with?" growled Alfendi, "Luke Triton, oh perfect little gentleman, Luke Triton."

"Alfendi…." began Layton.

"You spent more time with HIM than you ever spent with me whilst I was growing up!" Potty screeched, "Do you know how that feels? Being second best to some puny midget with a stupid newspaper bag hung around his shoulders all the time?!"

Alfendi was now growing extremely livid, his face red, eyes darkening and his hair was turning into the most intense shade of red that Lucy had ever seen it do.

"I always grew up, trying to be like you!" he continued, almost suffocating himself with the hate that was flying out of his lungs, "But you kept lecturing me on how to be a proper gentleman without actually being there for me as my own dad!"

Layton was growing increasingly emotional. He knew that to some extent this was true, but he did want to always be there for Alfendi, growing up. Lucy stood, looking sadly at her boss and Layton, her eyes filled with tears. She knew that this was a terrible mistake and she shouldn't have poked her nose into private matters, but that didn't stop Alfendi from continuing with his soliloquy.

"I can't believe this." Potty growled, "Lucy, why did you have to be so insensitively stupid?!"

A cord in Lucy snapped as she could no longer keep the tears from streaming down her face.

"E-Exc-cuse m-me….." she stammered, choking on her own sobs and rushing out of the door, slamming it shut behind her.

The moment she left, Potty buried his face in his hands and his hair started to rapidly lighten in colour.

"Lucy….." he moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Alfendi….." murmured Layton, stepping closer to his son, his own eyes filled with tears, "Words cannot begin to explain how sorry I am for leaving you. I never thought you felt that way."

"Well why do you think my split personality came about that way?" asked Placid, looking calmly up at him.

"It's my fault." said Layton, his shoulders shuddering and eyes closing at the immense guilt that washed over him, "Alfendi, how can I ever begin to make things up to you?"

"It's in the past, Papa." Placid whispered, "I love you and I do wish that I could have gone on those adventures with you-"

His words were cut off as Layton engulfed him in a hug. Alfendi was taken aback; he hadn't been hugged since the day that Lucy had managed to release him from that jail sentence. His heart spread with a strange warmth as he hugged his father for the first time in 9 years.

"Lucy…." said Alfendi, breaking away from his dad, slowly.

"You have to go after her, Son." said Layton, "Now I don't want to tell you what to do, but…"

"I have to find her…." whispered Alfendi, his face immediately breaking into a state of pure panic, "I have no idea where she could have gone, she might have got hurt, she-"

Layton took his son by the shoulders.

"I just want you to know that she did mean the best for you." said Layton, firmly, "She came to me in a state, begging me to come back to you."

"She did?" asked Alfendi, his eyes lighting up, "So if it weren't for her…."

"I might not have been able to be here today." said Layton, his eyes filling with tears as he hugged his son again. Alfendi, this time, hugged his father back, burying his face into his father's chest as he had did 10 years ago.

* * *

"Papa, Papa! Read me a story!" squealed Alfendi, bouncing around in his pyjamas, "Pleaseeee?"

"Oh alright, Alfendi!" grinned Layton, sitting down on Alfendi's bed, "But you have to promise to be extra quiet so that you hear all the little details of the story."

Alfendi nodded enthusiastically and jumped into his bed, drawing the covers over himself.

"Once upon a time," began Layton, "There was a curious little village in the heart of the countryside. It guarded a big secret…"

"What was this secret, Papa?" asked Alfendi, earnestly, his eyes wide.

"It was a massive fortune, dear." said Layton, smiling, "But it was guarded by this monster."

"Oh no!" cried Alfendi, "What did it do?"

"It kept kidnapping all the villagers and taking them up to it's tower where it would keep them for a while." said Layton, his voice lowering to keep the melodrama of the story alive.

"Did you come along and save everyone, Papa?" grinned Alfendi, clutching his father's arm as he told the story.

"Yes." said Layton, feeling proud, "And one day, you will be able to come with me and save everyone too!"

"Really?!" breathed Alfendi, his eyes shining in pure excitement, "I cannot wait to do that with you, Papa!"

Layton smiled and placed an arm around his son.

"But did you find the treasure?" asked Alfendi, earnestly.

"There was a mystery behind the treasure." said Layton, thinking back, "I wonder if you can solve it."

"What was it, Papa?" Alfendi asked.

"The man to whom the treasure belonged said that it could be found in the apple of his eye." said Layton, "What do you think that means, my dear?"

"Maybe…." thought Alfendi, his eyes and nose scrunching up like that of a rabbit, "His son or daughter?"

"Exactly!" said Layton, laughing, "Good boy!"

"Goodnight, Papa." said Alfendi, smiling as he buried his face in his father's chest.

"Goodnight, my lovely boy." whispered Layton, hugging him back and kissing the top of his head, gently.


	7. Head Over Heels

Lucy stood just outside the police station, shivering in the cold night. It was winter, so day changed to night quite rapidly. It was around five o clock in the evening as Lucy stood there, waiting and hoping that everything was alright.

She hoped most of all, that the Prof hadn't killed anyone while he was up there. But he wasn't that violent, surely? She knew him too well to know that he wouldn't pull a stunt like that, even when everyone else thought that he had killed Keelan at Forebodium all those years ago. She thought back to the case files and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as the image of the Prof, splayed out in a pool of his own blood on the top floor of the castle, flashed through her mind.

She bit her lip in a vain effort to hold back the tears; she really couldn't imagine life without him. He was her guide and friend, but he probably didn't know that to her, he meant so much more. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin, as she thought about the warmth of the Mystery Room and how she longed to see the Prof smiling at her once more.

"Do not trust Alfendi Layton!" rang Diane's voice in her head, "That man is…..he killed Papa."

"Nonsense." she thought to herself, "Do not trust Diane Makepeace, rather."

She heard a noise from behind the station and walked slowly to the corner to see the Prof and Layton walking out of the building together and stopping a few metres away from where she was. In fear of being seen, Lucy quickly slipped back inside, pelting full speed back to the Mystery Room. She slipped inside grabbing her keys and coat, preparing to leave, when an open file on the Prof's desk caught her attention.

She dropped her coat and keys back into the cabinet and walked over to the file that was open on the desk. She flicked through it and her heart immediately skipped a beat when her fingers landed on one page. It was the page of the picture that showed both the Prof and Makepeace almost drowning in pools of their own blood as the rain sheeted down that night.

Suddenly, Lucy felt a wave of sadness and pain wash over her as she collapsed into the Prof's desk chair. She began to sob, loudly, as she stared at the picture which was now blurry as she looked at it through tear-stained eyes. She traced the outline of the Prof on the picture with her index finger as she let out a loud sigh, collapsing onto the desk, a firm grasp still on the picture. A wave of exhaustion washed over her as she promptly fell fast asleep at the Prof's desk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alfendi and his father were stood outside in the chill, their coats wrapped around their slender bodies as they talked.

"Lucy hasn't been back for a while," said Placid, thrusting his hands deep into the pockets of his lab coat. Several pieces of paper fell out, but he allowed them to float away in the breeze.

"You shouldn't be worried about her." sneered Potty, from the depths of Al's thoughts, "What are you doing, man?"

Alfendi shook his head and buried his face in his hands again. It had become a thing with him since he'd met Lucy. She'd brought out his meeker and humble side and made him more accepting of himself. It was one of the reasons that he felt so drawn and attached to her.

"Alfendi, are you quite alright?" asked Layton, looking at him, his facial expression concerned.

"I-I'm fine." Alfendi stammered, turning away from his father to hide the blush that was creeping over his cheeks.

"Alfendi?" said Layton again, this time smiling, "Are you in love with Lucy?"

"NO!" said Potty, swiveling around, his hair darkening, "What on EARTH gave you that idea?"

Potty looked clearly disgusted, but Layton saw right through him.

"Oh Alfendi." he said, "it's alright, you know? To be in love."

"I'm not in love with her." said Potty, trying and failing to sound truthful.

"Why don't you…." said Layton, "As the folk say today; ask her out?"

"I don't want to be her boyfriend." said Alfendi, rubbing his neck tentatively, "I mean look at me. What would make her want to date a guy like me? How could she possibly love a man like _me_?"

All of Alfendi's thoughts that had previously been circling the back of his mind, now came to light and his father saw him, as a confused man who was battling with his feelings over this girl.

"Then what do you want?" asked Layton, calmly, aiming to probe the truth out of his son.

"I want to be there next to her," said Alfendi, in a dazed state, "I want to hold her hand and smell her hair. I want to tell her about my day and listen to her multitudes of stories about her own."

Layton smiled. Oh what it was to be young and in love. He had felt the same way about Claire and his former wife, which brought back memories of the past.

"I love her crazy jokes," he continued, "I love the way she's so reckless and carefree. She so full of vibrant energy, yet she is so clumsy at the same time. "

"So tell her." said Layton, smiling at his son.

"It's not that easy." murmured Alfendi, placing his head in his hands yet again.

"Tell her what you just told me." said Layton, "It is the way forward, after all."

"But I don't want to be her stupid _boyfriend_." muttered Potty, resurfacing again.

Layton chuckled.

"Well then why don't you tell her about your feelings in a way that you know best?" he said, smiling at his son.

"What's that?" asked Alfendi, looking genuinely puzzled.

"With a puzzle." said Layton, patting him on the shoulder.

"Of course!" said Placid, a hushed whisper, "I'll devise a case for her to solve and it'll lead her to the fact that I'm madly in love with her!"

Layton smiled at his son.

"But she's such a puzzle." said Alfendi, "Sometimes, I don't even know if she would replicate my feelings or even feel the same way."

"Well you know what I always say?" said Layton, looking carefully at Alfendi, "Every-"

"Every puzzle has an answer." replied Alfendi, looking at his father and smiling, "You're right Dad. I have to tell her how I feel."

"Well I'm glad you're deciding to tell her." said Layton, "She really does love you, Alfendi."

"Wait, really?!" he replied, excited, "What has she said, has she-?"

Layton raised an eyebrow at his son, who shut his mouth immediately.

"I mean…." replied Potty, "I couldn't care less what she said."

Layton laughed.

"Just the way she talked about how you were." said Layton, recalling those moments in the café, "And just the amount of trouble she went through to get me here."

Alfendi grew silent for a few moments.

"It really does show me how much you mean to her." said Layton, taking his son by the shoulder, "Now go home, dear, it's freezing."

* * *

Alfendi headed back down the corridor to the Mystery Room. He quietly opened the door and peered round it, to see the sleeping figure of Lucy hunched over the desk, her head in her arms on the table. He shut the door and quietly tiptoed to her sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful and so beautiful, he thought. Her orange cap was sliding slowly off her head, but he quickly picked it up and placed it on the desk next to her. His hand lingered for a fleeting moment on her hair, but he pulled it away.

She stirred in her sleep and Alfendi saw that she had something tightly gripped in her hands. He pulled it gently away from her grasp and examined the picture. It was the picture that he had left on the desk, which was now stained with her tears. His own eyes welled up as he looked down at her sleeping figure. It was just then that he realised that he loved her more than anything else in the world and would vow to do anything for her.

He leaned over and took his lab coat off. He placed it around her shoulders and instantly, Lucy let out a happy sigh as she drew closer to the Prof. Obviously she didn't consciously know what was going on, but in that moment, Alfendi felt nothing but pure happiness. He gently rested his head against hers.

"Goodnight Lucy." he whispered, his lips brushing softly against her ear, "I love you."


	8. The Infatuation Declaration (Pt 1)

Hello chaps! So sorry that these last few chapters have been a bit short...been really busy! But I promise the next chapter will definitely be longer! :D

AthenaX

PS: Al just gets even more and more adorable... xD

* * *

The next morning, Lucy awoke at the Prof's desk. She opened her eyes sleepily as she looked around the room, illuminating with the morning light. She caught sight of the Prof, sitting in another chair near the door, one leg crossed over the other, reading the day's newspaper. She nearly jumped out of her skin, as a furious blush passed across her face.

"By 'eck Prof!" she stammered, "I-I….er…"

She looked down and saw the Prof's lab coat draped over her shoulders.

"Prof…." she stuttered, "I…"

Alfendi chuckled and put down his paper, getting up out of his seat.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." he said, gesturing to a tray on the desk in front of her, "I got you some breakfast."

Lucy, still slightly red in the face, looked carefully at the Prof, who himself had a slight pink tinge to his cheeks.

"Thanks Prof…" she murmured, reaching for the mug of tea, "You didn't have to-"

"I know." he said, cutting smoothly across her, "I just really wanted to apologise for my behaviour yesterday."

"Well did you guys have a chance to talk or summat?" she asked, sipping the tea.

"We did." said Alfendi, smiling, "And it was all thanks to you. Honestly Lucy, I don't know what I'd do without you."

At that compliment, Lucy's face shone like the sun but she tried to hide it by raising her mug. The result; a cascade of burning tea rushing down her throat.

"Ahh!" she gasped, opening her mouth and breathing heavily, "Why is it so hot?!"

Alfendi laughed at her childlike behaviour.

"Well that's what happens when you boil water to one-hundred degrees, Lucy." he said, trying and failing to contain his laughter.

"Oh you can laugh." grumbled Lucy, coughing, "Y-You seem in a g-good mood today, Prof."

"I am." said Alfendi, looking at her carefully, taking in every ounce of her beauty.

She smiled back at him as she took a bite of the croissant that was in front of her.

"So w-what's on the agenda *gobble* for today Prof?" she asked, chewing on a full mouth of croissant.

"Well I'm going to need you to help me with a case today." said Alfendi, placing his newspaper down on the chair and getting up.

"A case you're stuck on?" asked Lucy, grinning, "That's a first an' all!"

"Indeed." said Placid, smiling warmly at her, "It's one I'm having great difficulty with, so if you could help me get the truth out, I'd be very grateful."

He smirked inwardly, as he read the puzzled expression that crossed her face. As she thought about what he was trying to put over, her nose scrunched up like that of a cute little bunny rabbit.

"I have to get the case files off Sniffer and Florence." said Alfendi, "So feel free so head out for a couple of hours before I get back."

"Are you sure?" said Lucy, nervously, "I would like to change my clothes and my hair looks awful."

Alfendi chuckled.

"Well since you crashed on my desk as a bed last night, I'm sure you would like to go home." he said, winking at her.

Lucy blushed. Just what was going on?

"Okay." she said, "What time do you want me to come back?"

"Around 5 to 6pm, maybe?" replied Alfendi, checking his watch.

"Jeez, Prof!" exclaimed Lucy, "That late?"

"Mm." said Alfendi, smiling inwardly, "There's a lot of things that need to be sorted out that you don't really need to be here for."

"Well, if you're sure Prof." said Lucy, getting up out of her chair and walking to the door.

She stopped by the door and turned to look at him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her eyes still hazy with sleep.

"Of course, beautif-I mean, Lucy." stammered Alfendi, a slight pink tinge crossing his cheeks.

Lucy smiled, thankfully not hearing what he was just about to say. She slipped out of the Prof's lab coat and held it out to him.

"Thanks Lucy." he said, taking it and putting it on immediately.

"You look more like the Prof now." said Lucy, grinning, "I'm sorry I slept in it last night."

"It wasn't your fault." said Alfendi, smiling, "I dare say it's pretty comfortable."

Lucy smiled and blushed.

"I'll….er…" she mumbled, "I'll see you later, Prof!"

"Lucy?" called out Alfendi, before she exited the room.

"Yes, Prof?" she replied, smiling at him.

"You...er..." he mumbled, "You look nice anyway."

"Aw, ta very much, Prof!" she grinned, "You don't look too shabby yourself!"

She rushed out of the door and Alfendi took a step back, inhaling sharply. Just what was this girl doing to him? She made him feel things that he had never felt before and when he looked at her, it was almost like his world stopped revolving. Her smile and her laugh were what he lived for every day and just to see her happy or blush at his occasional compliments made him glow from the inside out.

But there was no time to think about that. He peered around the door into the hall, to check that Lucy was well and truly gone and he slipped out of the room, down the corridor to the Forensics Lab where he had agreed to meet Sniffer and Florence.

He rapped sharply on the door and Sniffer opened it, his moon-shaped spectacles sliding down his rounded nose as he did so.

"Ah come on in, Al." he said, moving to the side to let Alfendi in, "I heard you were having some, _girlfriend_ _issues_?"

"Don't mock me!" snapped Potty Prof, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Oy vey…" muttered Florence, "Where's the nearest criminal when you need them-ACHOO!"

"Nice to see you too, Florence." said Placid, burying his face in his hands.

"So what do you need help with?" asked Sniffer, sitting down on the nearest stool.

"I…" blushed Alfendi, "Well…."

"Basically, Al is deeply in love with Lucy-"began Florence.

"No!" interrupted Sniffer, his ginger hair standing on end, "And there was me thinking that since Hilda, you were unlovable!"

Alfendi rolled his eyes.

"Hilda is in the past." snapped Potty Prof, "I don't love her anymore. I love Lucy and my heart belongs to her."

"Your…. Potty side, just admitted that he loves Lucy too." said Sniffer, slightly in shock.

"Well he always has." said Placid, shaking his head as his hair turned to light purple again, "Both of us love her endlessly."

"Al." said Florence, sternly, "If Potty comes out one more time, I'm outta here-ACHOO!"

"I promise he wont resurface again." said Placid, looking directly at the pair of them, chuckling, "You wont have to 'whip out your drip' and run like the wind."

"L-Lucy told you I said that?" mumbled Florence, "That girl..."

"Just so happens to be the very girl I find myself infatuated with." said Potty Prof, resurfacing once more, "So don't say anything bad about her or I will cut out your tongue."

"Lucy is one lucky lass." grinned Florence, rolling her eyes.

"So you want to find a perfect way to tell her you love her?" asked Sniffer, grinning.

"Yes." said Alfendi, "In a nutshell."

"Well I know that Lucy has a deep secret love for mathematics." said Florence, thoughtfully.

"How did you know that?" asked Alfendi, curiously.

"Oh we just got chatting the other day and she told me." said Florence, "Said that sh-ACHOO!"

"Oh control your allergies, Flo." mumbled Sniffer, taking off his glasses and polishing them briefly before putting them back on.

"She said that she minored in maths at University." said Florence, shooting a glare at Sniffer before turning back to Alfendi, "So if you really want to get her heart, you've got to try something mathematical, as she loves the subject almost as much as criminology."

"In what way is mathematics even remotely sexy?" asked Alfendi, shaking his head.

"Well you've come to the right people for that." said Sniffer, reaching for a dusty textbook that was under his desk.

"What on Earth is that, Sniffer?" asked Florence, sniffling.

"It's the complete guide to the Mathematics of Love." said Sniffer, placing the heavy book down on the desk in front of him, as Florence let out a loud screech of laughter.

"You actually have a book with that name?" scoffed Potty Prof, "You _pathetic_ fool."

"Well," began Sniffer, indignantly, "How else is a nerdy kid like me supposed to pick up girls at university?"


	9. The Infatuation Declaration (Pt 2)

"You have been acting differently since Lucy got here, you know." said Florence, absent-mindedly flicking through the pages of the Mathematics of Love, as the sky started to darken outside the tainted window of the forensics lab.

"I...I have?" asked Alfendi, his eyes widening slowly.

"Oh it is _so_ obvious." said Sniffer, scribbling graphs and equations down on a notepad, his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

"What?!" spat Potty Prof, pressing his palm against his forehead, "That can't be-"

"Oh relax, would you Prof?" said Florence, "It's nothing to be ashamed of-ACHOO!"

"Florence…." mumbled Alfendi, "I thought that if I solved the case of that burglary, you would never call me Prof again."

"What's so bad about me calling you Prof?" grinned Florence

 _"Everything."_ thought Potty, " _Only Lucy calls me that."_

"Oh hey, Al." said Sniffer, "Be a lad and grab me my calculator from the side, would ya?"

"What the hell is this?" mumbled Potty, picking up a rusty looking box from the side table. It looked like it was the first calculator ever designed, or rather a very old portable mobile telephone.

"A calculator…." said Sniffer, furrowing his eyebrows, "Wow, you really _have_ lost your mind since Lucy got here, haven't you?"

Potty grumbled, threw Sniffer the calculator and stood to the side, as Sniffer continued to work on the maths problems that he had devised.

"You do realise that Lucy is going to be back in 2 hours, maximum?" said Alfendi, growing increasingly anxious.

"You can't hurry love." said Sniffer, chewing the end of his pencil in deep thought, "Or at least, that's what my professor said back at university."

"Okay, how about you try something simpler, Sniffer?" said Florence, wheeling across the room to grab a pen and some paper, "You don't want her to sit an entire maths exam just to find out that Al is in love with her!"

"He's worth that much trouble." said Sniffer, looking up at Alfendi, trying to hide the grin that was spreading rapidly across his face.

Potty Prof started to resurface, his hair growing disheveled and turning a deep crimson.

"Although!" cut in Florence, "I'm sure she'd be delighted to solve an entire maths test for you!"

That seemed to do the trick, as Placid's hair mellowed back to its normal purple colour.

"I'm sorry, you two." mumbled Alfendi, burying his face in his hands, "I just….I…."

"We know." said Florence, giving Alfendi one of her rarest sympathetic looks, "We want this to go well for you too-ACHOOO!"

"Florence!" grumbled Sniffer, edging away from her in disgust, "You just sneezed all over my darn equations!"

"Look." said Alfendi, pacing up and down in the room, "We don't have much time, just make this simple!"

"Alright, Al, keep your hair on!" said Sniffer, placing his hands up in the air in a surrendering motion before scribbling a few things down on his notepad.

The room was silent for a few moments and all that could be heard was the scratching of Sniffer's pencil against the paper as he concentrated hard.

"Got it!" he said, triumphantly.

"Well?" asked Florence, "What is it?"

"I think you should make an amalgamation of all the cases you've solved with her to date." said Sniffer, raising an eyebrow at Alfendi.

Florence gasped.

"That's a brilliant idea!" she said, "You could make a sandwich that spells the word 'LOVE' or something-ACHOO!"

"And then you could have a poem hidden somewhere, just like the note that Blaise left for Strapping!" said Sniffer, "Except this would be loving instead of an ominous death threat!"

"You guys are geniuses!" said Alfendi, clapping his hands together and thinking hard, "So then I could also do something that hinted to every other case that we've solved together!"

"That would be perfect." said Sniffer, "And I know that she loves her romance and mystery novels so this would be the best surprise for her!"

"So if you guys keep her down here, solving the case," said Alfendi, pacing around the room thinking everything through, "And I'll be upstairs, decorating the room with candles and roses so I can wait for her once she's done solving the case."

"How do you know that she'll solve it?" asked Sniffer, voicing his one concern.

"She will." said Alfendi, smiling, "She's the smartest girl I know."

"So how would the maths fit into all of this?" asked Florence, stifling another sneeze.

"I would probably ask her to solve this equation." said Alfendi, quickly grabbing a piece of paper and writing an equation which he proceeded to solve so that they could see what the outcome was.

"That…is…..genius." said Sniffer, grinning as he looked at the result, "Looks like you didn't need our help after all, Al!"

"Well." said Alfendi, rubbing the back of his neck, "I need you here to guide her slowly through the case like I would."

"Right." said Florence, "Now go and change."

"What?" asked Alfendi, "Why?"

"You're standing there in the same clothes as this morning, Al." said Sniffer, "Those sweat patches aren't going to hide themselves, you know."

"What sweat patches?" growled Potty Prof, "I'll have you know-"

"Get changed, Al!" said Florence, forcefully, "Put on the most dapper suit you own-ACHOO!"

"Alright." mumbled Potty, forcefully, "I'm going. But set everything up the way I'm telling you to."

The three sat there, planning everything carefully until there was precisely thirty minutes left until Lucy was scheduled to return.

"Okay, I'm going to change and then I'm getting the largest delivery of roses and candles that Scotland Yard has ever seen!" said Alfendi, nodding to Florence and Sniffer rushing out of the door.

"If this is how he declares his love," grinned Sniffer, "Imagine what it would be like if he decided to propose to her!"

"One step at a time, Sniffer." said Florence, smiling one of her rare smiles, "One step at a time."


	10. The Infatuation Declaration (Pt 3)

Hello dear readers! So sorry for this late update; couldn't get the chapter to upload! Oh well...

Tell me what you think! :) AthenaX

PS: When you get down to reading the 'equation' part, replace the words 'less than' with the actual mathematical symbol and it'll make sense! ;) I can't put the symbol on here, which is odd...anyway :D

* * *

Lucy had changed into a new pair of white jeans and had put on a black shirt. She brushed her newly washed hair and placed her cap on top of her head. All the while, she thought about the Prof and how he had been acting today. She brushed it off as nothing, but she felt excited going to solve yet another case with her mentor and guide.

She grabbed her keys and quickly rushed back to Scotland Yard. She was met in the hallway by Sniffer, who had pink cheeks and was slightly out of breath from running.

"Sniffer!" said Lucy, placing her hand over her heart, "You scared the life out of me!"

"So-sorry Lucy." he breathed, "I've got the case in my room so you can examine it."

"Isn't the Prof coming down?" asked Lucy, looking slightly disappointed.

"He's already looked at it himself, but he wants you to look at it to see what you make of it." said Sniffer, walking down the hallway and beckoning to Lucy to follow him. Lucy, thoroughly puzzled, followed Sniffer to his lab.

They opened the door to see Florence, sitting hunched over a desk nearby.

"Ah hello Lu-ACHOO!" she sneezed, "Lucy."

"Florence." said Lucy, smiling, "I see you've still got your cold."

"It's a cold that never gets old, Lucy." mumbled Florence, "Anyway, the case is on the table, have a look at it."

Lucy peered into the reconstruction device. She always admired it's accuracy for such a small machine and now was no exception.

"What the-" she mumbled, for as she looked in, the entire scene was a tessellation of red and gold, "By 'eck, what is all this?"

"It's a puzzling case to say the least." said Sniffer, winking at Florence, "But the Prof said that he was 99.8% certain that you could solve it."

"Still leaves the 0.2% error of uncertainty, though." said Lucy, grinning.

"Well…. " stammered Florence, trying to hide her shocked expression, "I'm sure you can solve this."

"Why not start with the sandwich?" asked Sniffer, peering over Lucy's shoulder.

"Well," said Lucy, "Normally, the Prof would ask me to take a gander at who I thought the culprit was, but since there's no sign of anything, I might as well analyse the scene."

Florence and Sniffer smiled at each other.

"Eh up." said Lucy, looking closely at the table, "What's this sarnie doing here? Looks dead sus if you ask me…."

"Why don't you take a closer look?" said Florence, looking closely at Lucy, who was pulling the sandwich apart as she spoke.

"Lettuce…..Olives…." began Lucy, screwing her nose up in disgust at the filling, "Is that a Valencia Orange?"

"Yes!" said Florence, her mouth open in surprise, for she didn't think that Lucy would guess that.

"And finally…an eggplant slice?" said Lucy, in disgust, "Hardly what you'd call an appetizing sarnie, eh?"

Lucy quickly listed down the ingredients in order and moved to the next section of the room.

"Here's a romantic dinner on a table, aye." said Lucy, looking at it, "For two people?"

She looked back at Sniffer and Florence.

"This hardly looks like a murder scene…." she said, adjusting her hat with a skeptical look on her face.

"Keep going, Lucy." said Sniffer, trying to hide his laughter.

"Is that….pasta?" said Lucy, staring at the bowl just in the middle of the two plates.

Something definitely was afoot and Lucy knew it. However, as odd as this case was, it was fun to solve, so she kept going.

"A poem, aye?" she said, analysing it closely, "That's cute, that is."

 _Roses are red_

 _Violets are blue_

 _This world is perfect_

 _With just me and you_

"Okay…" said Lucy, scribbling the poem down onto a piece of paper.

"Who's it by?" asked Florence, knowing fully well the answer to that question.

"Some lass called Angel of Love?" said Lucy, a confused expression crossing her face.

"She has no idea!" whispered Sniffer to Florence in hushed tones.

Florence elbowed Sniffer in an effort to shut him up, as they continued to watch Lucy solve the case.

"Ah hey!" she said, noticing the radio in the corner, "A spot of radio! From Radio Swoon?"

Florence and Sniffer exchanged nervous looks.

"This case must have been recent then." said Lucy, looking up, "I listened to the 'Love Hour' special a few days ago."

"I thought you said that you hated the presenter, DJ Dwight?" asked Sniffer, curiously.

"Well….." stammered Lucy, "That was in the past."

She came to the final piece of evidence that lay on the sofa in the room.

"What is this?" she asked, looking carefully at it. It was a jigsaw puzzle piece that had a single love heart on it with the initials, LB inscribed on it.

"Maybe this is to do with the lass?" thought Lucy, not catching on to what was going on at all.

"Well do you have everything from the scene?" asked Florence, stifling a sneeze.

"I think so." said Lucy, puzzled, "But there isn't a murder and no obvious suspects, so…."

Sniffer handed Lucy the case file.

"Eh, you could have given this to me beforehand, Sniffer!" said Lucy, smiling at him.

She opened the case file and there was a single picture in it. It was a picture of one of the suspects, but Lucy's jaw dropped as she saw it to be the Prof's own picture.

"Wait…." she stammered, "What th-"

"Go on through to the Mystery Room, Lucy." said Sniffer, taking the case file off her and smiling broadly.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" stammered Lucy, her cheeks flushing a bright pink.

"Lucy." said Florence, smiling, "Go to the Mystery Room, dear."

They ushered her out of the door and closed it behind her. Lucy's head was spinning and racing with a million thoughts as she half-walked, half-ran to the Mystery Room. She reached the door and saw a glowing light emitting from the inside. She pushed open the door to the room, nervously and gasped as she saw the beautiful sight inside.

* * *

Alfendi was standing in the centre of the room, illuminated by the light of almost a dozen candles that were strewn all over the office. He was wearing a jet-black suit and a crisp white shirt, as his pony-tail was neatly combed back. His trousers hung from his toned hips as he held in his hands a large bouquet of red roses. The entire room was covered in vases that had fresh roses in them and the sweet smell of them overpowered the room, enveloping Lucy in a comforting aroma.

"Prof…." she stammered, "I..w-what?"

"Lucy." he said, gently, setting the roses down, picking up a piece of paper and walking straight towards her, "There's one final puzzle left to solve."

He handed her the piece of paper.

"Can you solve this equation for me?" he asked, his golden eyes fixated on hers in the candlelit room.

Lucy looked down at the sheet of paper. The equation read:

9x + 7i less than 3 ( 3x + 7u )

"You want me t-to solve this?" she whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

The Prof nodded, his eyes glazing over slightly as he handed her a pen.

"Take your time." he breathed, softly.

Lucy took the pen and scribbled down the working and the answer. She gasped as she looked at the answer and looked up at the Prof, her eyes glistening with tears. It read:

i less than 3 u

"I love you Lucy," whispered Alfendi, picking up the roses and holding them out to her, "I always have, since the day I met you."

"Prof…" she stammered, tears rolling out of her eyes and down her cheeks, "Y-You did all of t-this for me?'

"I'm a romantic at heart," said Alfendi smiling, taking a step closer to her and wiping the tears out of her eyes with his thumbs, "Sue me."

Lucy suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his chest. He reciprocated her movements and the two stood there, in complete silence, just enjoying each other's company. Alfendi leaned his head against hers, slowly intaking his breath as her sweet aroma intoxicated his senses, carrying him off into a world far beyond reality. Their breathing was syncopated, as they could feel each other's heartbeats thudding rhythmically against their own chests.

"This is me, Lucy." whispered Alfendi, still holding onto her, "All of me."

"I love you so much, Prof…" whispered Lucy, sighing happily into his chest.

"You do?" asked Alfendi, tears filling up his own eyes, "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"You're my first, Prof." she murmured, quietly as her arms reached around his neck and she pulled back to look at him, a pink tinge colouring her cheeks.

"What do you mean, Lucy?" whispered Alfendi, looking down at her.

"I haven't had a boyfriend…. ever." she muttered, her blush growing ever more furious by the minute.

"Never?" he repeated, slightly shocked.

"You sound disbelieving." said Lucy, looking up at him, a small smile passing across her face.

"Well…" said Alfendi, placing his arms around her waist, gazing into her wide eyes, "You're so beautiful, it's hard to imagine that I'm your first."

Lucy squealed slightly and blushed even harder. Alfendi grinned at her.

"So the question remains, Lucy Baker." said Alfendi, placing his hand softly against her cheek, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

There was a small pause that echoed through the room.

"Alfendi Layton," whispered Lucy, taking the Prof's hand in hers, "I charge you guilty of completely stealing my heart. Of course I'll be your girlfriend!"

Alfendi did not need any more permission to kiss her than this. He scooped her up in his arms and planted a tender kiss directly on her lips. The pair of them immediately felt butterflies erupting in their stomachs and Alfendi placed her back down on the floor. His hands cupped her cheeks gently as they kissed and Lucy grasped the lapels of his blazer, placing her palms flat on his chest. Alfendi smiled as he kissed her, feeling the softness of her lips against his. His hands travelled down to her hips, pulling her gently closer to his body in a moment of complete infatuation.

Alfendi pulled away for a second, his hair darkening slightly.

"You're _mine_ , Lucy." growled Potty Prof, "And if anyone so much as tries to look at you, I _will_ cut their tongue out."

Lucy giggled as she leaned closer to Alfendi.

"I love you too, Potty Prof." she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again.

Alfendi smiled, as his hair mellowed and he kissed her again.

"Oh and Lucy?" whispered Alfendi, his lips brushing her cheek tenderly, "Happy birthday."

* * *

Again, guys, so sorry for the late update! :) But I do hope you like this chapter! Do leave comments, as I'd love to read them!


	11. An Unwelcome Surprise

The next morning, Lucy awoke to the sound of birds outside her window and a small smile crossed her face. Everything seemed better. She was in the same house, wearing the same clothes, but everything somehow seemed different.

This was the day after her 25th birthday, when Alfendi Layton had finally admitted his feelings for her. Lucy had always felt the same way about the Prof since she first laid eyes on him and they were together at last. She wondered how she was ever going to be able to keep her hands off Alfendi, since they both felt the same way about each other.

She quickly hopped into the shower, the hot water washing off all the tiredness that clung to her. Brushing her hair and slipping quickly into her clothes, she grabbed her keys and sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, all the way to Scotland Yard. She burst in through the door of the Mystery Room, panting for breath.

"Prof, so sorry I-!" she huffed, looking around the room rapidly. There was no sign of Alfendi.

"Strange." thought Lucy, "He's normally here before me."

Lucy walked around the Mystery Room and stood behind the Prof's desk. Her hands rested on his lab coat that was draped across the back of his chair. She took one look at the door and then put it on, quickly.

"Well." she murmured, turning around to look at the coat flowing around her knees, "This lab coat ain't half bad."

Suddenly, the door flew open and Alfendi walked in, hands in his trouser pockets. He stopped, letting the door swing shut behind him as he looked at Lucy; an amused smirk stretching across his face.

"You're wearing my lab coat." said Alfendi, trying and failing to sound stern.

"I know." grinned Lucy, "What are ya going to do about it, Prof?"

Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she thrust her hands deep into the coat pockets. Alfendi had a dark smile spreading across his face, as his hair darkened slightly.

"You naughty girl." he purred, as he walked across the room swiftly. Lucy yelped as he picked her up, bridal style and looked into her eyes, a sadistic look flashing across them.

"Ay-aye…" stammered Lucy, her arms around his shoulders, "S-steady o-on Prof!"

"I was kidding, Lucy." said Placid, nuzzling her neck affectionately as she leaned her head against his.

"You can't have this coat back." she smiled, shifting closer to him, "It's mine now."

"What am I going to do with you, Baker?" grinned Alfendi, looking up at her.

"Whatever you want, Prof." said Lucy, leaning down to kiss him. He kissed her, feeling her warmth against his own body. He set her down on the ground softly, his arms wrapping around her waist as he leaned gently into her. She responded, her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

"We're not going to get any work done, are we?" grinned Alfendi, his lips still against hers.

Lucy let out a shy giggle as she kissed him again, this time slightly more urgently.

"I love you, Prof." she whispered, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

"And I, you, Lucy." he murmured, unwilling to break the connection that was blossoming between the pair of them in the dim light of the Mystery Room.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a tall woman with blonde hair flowing down to her waist stormed into the room. Her blue coat was slung around her broad shoulders and her skirt was plastered around her hips, showing off her curvaceous figure. Her lips twisted into a sneer as she examined the scene in front of her.

"Al! Lucy!" she barked, "Stop canoodling and get to work! I've got a new case for you."

Potty broke away from Lucy, his arms still around her as he turned around to see Hilda Pertinax, glaring at him, tapping her foot impatiently. Lucy looked thoroughly embarrassed, her gaze immediately averting to the floor as she shifted from one foot to the other.

"Ee….sorry Hilda…." murmured Lucy, still swaying next to the Prof.

"Hilda…" muttered Placid, "Impeccable timing, as per usual."

"Oh I'm sorry." said Hilda, a cold tone lining her voice, "I had no idea that Scotland Yard _paid_ their employees to have full makeout sessions instead of doing work."

"Hilda." groaned Potty, his hair darkening, " _Get out_."

"Not yet." said Hilda, crossing her arms over her chest, "I need to speak to Lucy."

Alfendi's grip on Lucy tightened as she spoke those words.

"She's not going anywhere with _you_." he said, firmly, "Like you said, we have a case to solve."

"Oh and why not?" said Hilda, "I don't bite. Come on Lucy, I need to speak with you."

"Alright Hilda," mumbled Lucy, still flushed pink from her embarrassment, "I'm coming."

Lucy flashed an apologetic smile at the Prof as she walked out of the door with Hilda. Alfendi picked up a file and waved it at her, before smiling as the door closed.

"Hilda…" stammered Lucy, "I'm so sorry….."

Hilda, who was just walking directly in front of Lucy, stopped in her tracks.

"What do you mean, Lucy?" she asked, turning around to reveal the puzzled expression on her face.

"T-the P-Prof, I mean." she stammered, "I know you two were close an'…well….er…"

"Oh Lucy!" Hilda chuckled, placing her hand against her chest, "There's nothing between me and Al anymore. You don't need to worry about that."

"Sure?" asked Lucy, twisting her hands together.

"Lucy." said Hilda, taking her shoulders and looking into her eyes, "I've seen the way he is around you. He's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you."

Lucy blushed and smiled at Hilda.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, "And why was it so important that you had to take me out t' office?"

"I didn't want Al to hear this." Hilda mumbled, "But…you should know."

"What is it?" asked Lucy, growing increasingly worried.

"Justin…" she murmured, "…isgettingreleasedtomorrowmorning…."

"Excuse me?" asked Lucy, "Could you repeat that, Hilda?"

"Justin is getting released out of prison tomorrow morning." stuttered Hilda, her voice shaking, "Someone bailed him out."

"W-what?!" stammered Lucy, her fists clenching, "But he were supposed to be in there for another year!"

"I have no idea what happened." said Hilda, quietly, placing her hand over her mouth.

"But the Prof's going to go ballistic!" exclaimed Lucy, "We have to-"

"We can't let him know!" said Hilda, her eyes pleading with Lucy, "We can't."

"Why not?" asked Lucy, crossing her arms over her chest, "Surely he deserves to know."

"This goes way deeper than you think." said Hilda, shaking her head, "Something bad is happening."

"Eh?" mumbled Lucy, "Like what?"

"That," said Hilda, truthfully, "is a question I haven't been able to answer yet."

* * *

This is probably such a bad chapter; I'm so sorry! Getting a bit busy now... :/  
AthenaX


	12. Toxic

Can I SERIOUSLY apologise for this ridiculously late update...I do hope that this is worth it...I'll try to upload as quick as I can; so sorry to keep you all waiting!

Enjoy!

AthenaX

* * *

A few months later, Alfendi Layton and Lucy Baker were sitting in the dimly lit Mystery Room, sipping yet another cup of steaming tea, as they celebrated solving yet another case. Lucy was still worried about Justin escaping from jail, but she had kept her promise to Hilda and had not spoke a single word about it to the Prof. Lucy sat in a chair, her legs drawn up to her knees as she balanced the mug of tea on top of them, her finger tracing the rim of the cup. Alfendi had a thoughtful look on his face as he gazed at Lucy, his cup in his hand.

"He would completely lose it." thought Lucy once more, trying to thoroughly convince herself, "I can't tell him…. but I should."

"Earth to Lucy." said Alfendi, a cheerful twinkle in his eyes, "Sometimes I feel like you're hardly here anymore."

"I'm fine, Prof." sighed Lucy, putting down her mug of tea.

"Something troubling you?" asked Alfendi, looking carefully at her.

"It's nothing." replied Lucy, almost too rapidly. Alfendi's eyes narrowed.

"I can read you like a book, Baker." he said, his hair darkening slightly, "You sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's…" mumbled Lucy, trying to come up with an excuse, "It's that time of the month again."

Her face immediately flushed bright pink. Not only was that statement true, but she couldn't believe that she had just used it as an excuse. Thankfully, Alfendi chuckled and slumped back in his chair again.

"Well let me take you out to dinner tonight." said Alfendi, grinning, "You and your…. well…"

He looked slightly embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck, as his eyes met hers from across the room.

"I should go." he said, getting up out of his chair and taking off his lab coat," I promised my father I'd meet him for tea at the café."

"That's nice." said Lucy, smiling, "Are you coming home straight after that?"

"Your place or mine?" he asked, draping the lab coat over his chair and turning to look back at her.

"Yours." she said with a small smile.

"Hmm." said Alfendi, walking over to her as she stood up to kiss him goodbye, "Good choice."

She giggled and looped her arms around his neck, gazing peacefully into his eyes. He reciprocated the action, one hand placed on her waist, the other against her cheek. He leaned down to kiss her, the intoxicating aroma of her scent wafting up his nose and filling him with a sense of completeness and longing at the same time. Their lips met and the kiss lingered for a few fleeting moments before they broke apart.

"I'll see you at home, Lucy." said Alfendi, stroking her cheek and smiling.

"Don't take too long, Prof." said Lucy, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his chest like a small child.

Alfendi chuckled.

"Now how could I say no to a request like that?" he smiled, kissing the top of her head gently.

She grinned and handed him his jacket. He slipped into it, quickly buttoning it up before waving to her as he exited the room. Alfendi walked down the corridor, his hair flying in the slight breeze that emitted from the double doors to the entrance of Scotland Yard. He passed several of the forensic analysts, as they bustled to their own labs, buried under mountains of paper and a various assortment of files.

* * *

He walked down the street, hands in his pockets as he eyed the streets of London carefully. The world around him seemed to be more perfect each day and there was nowhere he would rather be than with Lucy. What a stroke of luck it was that it was she that the Commissioner had decided to let him work with. He still remembered the embarrassed look on her face the first day she had met him, when she declared that he was the culprit was him.

"The first of many embarrassing moments." he thought to himself fondly.

He reached the café, where Layton was already waiting for him. A young woman with curly brown hair and a short red dress sat beside him, her turquoise eyes glimmering in the light of the café. Her beige coat hugged her figure as she stood upon seeing Alfendi. He stopped in his tracks and stared, open mouthed at the girl.

"K-Katrielle?" he stammered, taking his hands out of his pockets, eyes widening slightly.

"Alfendi!" she squealed, rushing forward and engulfing her brother in a large hug. He seemed taken aback, but he quickly wrapped his arms around her, placing his head on her shoulder as he embraced her after 9 long years of being apart.

"You look so well, Al!" she gushed, pulling out a chair for him to sit down, "You have to tell me everything!"

"The same to you, Kat!" laughed Alfendi, patting his younger sister on the shoulder as he sat down on the chair next to her.

"Hello Papa." said Alfendi, smiling at Layton who was grinning at his two children.

"Hello Al." he said, smiling, "I trust that you are well?"

"Of course." he said, "And yourself?"

"Not too bad." replied Layton, beckoning the waiter over, "And how is Lucy?"

"Lucy is fi-" began Alfendi, a slight glow lighting up his face.

"Ooh!" swooned Katrielle, crossing one of her legs over the other and placing her head in her palms, "A girl, Alfendi? Do tell."

"Oh shut up, Katrielle." grumbled Potty Prof, resurfacing.

"Oh hey." said Katrielle, sitting up slowly, "Come on now, Al. Cool it."

"Sorry Kat." said Alfendi, burying his face in his hands, "But yes, I do have a girlfriend called Lucy Baker."

"How did you guys meet?" asked Katrielle, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked adoringly at her elder brother.

"Well she's my assistant-"began Alfendi.

"A professional and love interest for a partner." said Katrielle, wryly, "I bet you don't get any work done in the office, do you Al?"

"Well….." blushed Alfendi, "We do."

"Oh come now, Katrielle." said Layton, smiling, "I'm sure he gets a lot of work done."

"Thank you, Father." said Alfendi, crossing his arms over his chest. The waiter came over to the table with their drinks.

"A hot chocolate for you." he said, placing it in front of Katrielle, "A cappuccino for you and finally, an Earl Grey for you."

"I didn't ask for an Earl Grey." said Alfendi, looking up at the waiter.

"Well," said the waiter, "It's on the house. Enjoy."

"What?" thought Alfendi, "I could have sworn that waiter looked exactly like Ju-"

"So, Alfendi." said Layton, "What are your plans for this evening?"

"I was going to take Lucy out to dinner." said Alfendi, taking a large sip of the tea, gasping as it seared the back of his throat. It puzzled him, for the tea wasn't even hot at all.

"Aw, did someone drink their tea too quickly?" giggled Katrielle, "You always used to do that, even when we were younger!"

"I needed the tea to keep my strength up." said Alfendi, raising his eyebrows at her, "With your cooking, tea was the closest thing I got to nourishment."

"Rude!" said Katrielle, her nostrils flaring, "I'll have you know, I'm a marvelous cook now!"

"I'm sure you are." said Alfendi, dryly, taking another sip of his tea. Katrielle gave him a furious stare out of the corner of her eyes, but a small smile crossed her lips.

"You should come back home one day, Alfendi." said Layton, "I want to talk to you about your mother."

Alfendi paused for a moment.

"Alright." he agreed, taking a deep breath and nodding, "I need to know more about her."

"Well I'm glad we're seeing eye to eye." said Layton, reaching over and patting his son's hand.

Alfendi suddenly placed a palm to his forehead. He was breaking out in an uncontrollable sweat and he felt extremely dizzy.

"Alfendi?" asked Layton, peering closely at him, "Are you alright, my boy?"

"I…" mumbled Alfendi, "I don't feel too good all of a sudden."

"Are you okay?" asked Katrielle, placing a hand on his, "Gosh, you've gone all clammy!"

Alfendi shook his head.

"Would it be alright if I went home?" he mumbled, "I'm so sorry to cut tea short."

"Of course, Alfendi." said Layton, looking increasingly worried, "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"N-No." stammered Alfendi, staggering slowly to his feet, wobbling around as he did so, "I think I'll b-be fine."

Katrielle jumped up beside him and gathered him into a hug again.

"Wow, you're really hot." she murmured, "You should rest. Don't go back to the office tonight."

"I-I wont." he mumbled, almost collapsing into her, "Bye Papa, bye Kat."

"Get home safely, Alfendi." murmured Layton, staring concerned after his son.

What was happening to him? Alfendi staggered slowly to the door, pulling his coat over himself as he braced the chill of the outside air. His vision grew blurry as he stepped out of the café, a wave of dizziness washing over him. He grasped the door handle to steady himself, but he collapsed to the floor in a bought of exhaustion.

"Alfendi Layton" said a voice darkly, "It's been so long."

"L-Lucy…." Alfendi groaned, his eyes closing slowly, shutting out the world around him.


	13. Mind Games

Alfendi ran through the streets of London, his vision still hazy as he pelted at full speed towards Lucy's house. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached her door and rang the doorbell at least five times. The door swung open almost immediately and Lucy stood there in her dressing gown, eyes red and face lined with tiredness. Her straight orange hair was now frizzy and her lips were parted slightly. A pang of guilt immediately struck Alfendi as he stood there, his own disheveled hair flying in the breeze of the night air.

"Alfendi Layton!" she screamed, "You've been gone for hours and I've been worried sick! Where have you been?! You're my boyfriend for heaven sak-"

Alfendi reached for her waist, pulling her gently into his arms. She seemed slightly surprised at first but she responded by hugging him, as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her neck gently.

"I'm so sorry if I scared you." he murmured, his lips still against her neck, "I didn't mean to be gone for this long."

He pulled away from her rapidly and coughed, his hair rapidly changing colour from dark maroon back to purple as he did so.

"Prof?" asked Lucy, her eyes widening, "Are you alright?"

"I need to lie down, Lucy." said Alfendi, closing his eyes in a pained expression, "Help me onto the couch."

He placed one of his arms around her shoulders and she wrapped both arms tightly around his waist. They walked slowly to Lucy's sofa and Alfendi collapsed onto the sofa in a state of pure exhaustion.

"Prof, can I get you a cuppa?" asked Lucy, crouching down so she was eye level with him.

"Tea is the least of my worries right now, Lucy." mumbled Alfendi, burying his face in the sofa as his body twisted uncomfortably on the leather.

"Then tell me what happened, Prof." she asked, sitting down next to Alfendi, her hand clasped over his.

Alfendi looked up at her; her beautiful face was lined with exhaustion and worry. It was now almost half-past eleven at night. He owed her an explanation.

* * *

Alfendi woke up in a cold, dark room. The walls were made of stone and the entire room was coloured grey. His vision was still hazy and everything seemed like some sort of bizarre nightmare. He struggled to his feet and walked forward, but a tearing sound emitted from his jeans.

"Ah!" he gasped, looking down. His jeans were torn at the ankle and blood was gushing out of a fresh wound just above his ankle.

He winced in pain as he limped across the room slowly, his eyes growing accustomed to the darkness of the room. He saw a figure of a woman on the floor in the corner of the room. Walking over to her, he could see that she had orange hair and as he saw her green jacket and her white trousers, everything clicked into place. He staggered backwards, his breathing rate rapidly increasing, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He rushed over to the girl and started shaking her.

"No…. L-Lucy." he whispered, his voice hoarse, "T-This c-can't b-be…."

He stroked her cheek and shuddered, for her skin was ice cold. Her eyes were shut tightly and she wasn't breathing.

"N-No…." he stammered, tears forming in his eyes, "No, I-I love you, L-Lucy."

Suddenly, Lucy let out a loud scream that threw Alfendi to the other side of the room. He hit his head hard against the wall and cried out in frustration and pain.

"What the hell?" muttered Alfendi, rubbing the back of his head, his eyes watering with pain.

The woman rose from the corner of the room, but Alfendi couldn't make her out from the outline. He assumed it was Lucy, walking towards him.

"Lucy?" whispered Alfendi, his eyes squinting, vision blurry.

"Alfendi." said the woman, appearing in the light. It was his mother.

Alfendi's mouth grew wide and his throat grew tight.

"M-Mama?" he rasped, his throat dry and palms sweaty.

"Alfendi." she repeated, her eyes glimmering in the dark like orbs, "You disappoint me."

"W-what?" he stammered, backing up into the wall.

"You and your split personality." she said, her voice ringing through the room, echoing off the walls, "And now you're an officer at Scotland Yard, no less."

"But…" muttered Alfendi, still in shock at what was happening, "What are you doing here?"

The woman chuckled and a sneer spread across her face.

"You're not my mother." growled Potty Prof, surfacing, "Get lost."

She snarled and rushed towards him, disappearing as quickly as she had come.

"What is happening?" mumbled Alfendi, stumbling around the room.

"Al." said a gruff voice from the corner of the room, "It sure is good to see you again after all these years."

Potty Prof emerged, his maroon hair hanging in front of his eyes.

"Well well…." he said, turning around, an evil smile spreading across his lips, "Justin Lawson. I had a feeling that it was you tailing me."

"Well, your intuition never fails." said Justin, walking up to him.

"What do you want, you sorry excuse of a man?" snarled Potty Prof.

Justin chuckled.

"Careful, Al." he said, threateningly, "I framed you for murder once, I can frame you again."

Placid surfaced.

"And since you're so willing to comply when you're…. Placid." sniggered Justin, "That serum I gave you depletes your Potty personality."

"W-what?" stammered Placid, sweating, his hair rapidly changing colour.

"You feel odd, don't you?" said Justin, menacingly, "Soon your memories will be wiped out."

Placid stumbled backwards.

"Goodbye, Layton." whispered Justin, placing a gun to his head.

"NO!" screamed Alfendi, rushing forwards but there was a loud bang. Justin's lifeless body slumped to the floor and Alfendi kneeled beside him. Blood started to ooze out of a wound in Justin's skull and Alfendi stepped back, scrunching up his eyes. He had to get out of here.

* * *

Alfendi lay on the sofa, his fingers interlocked with Lucy's. His head was resting in her lap as he blinked slowly, the bright light that emitted from the swinging light bulb piercing his eyes. He breathed out, shakily as Lucy looked down at him.

"That were odd." she said, "Why did Justin kill himself?"

Alfendi got up and turned to look at her.

"I think the question that you should have been asking was how he got out of jail in the first place." said Alfendi, looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face, "It certainly was my first query."

Lucy stopped for a moment. It had just dawned on her that Hilda and herself were the only people who knew about Justin being bailed out of jail.

"I…" she mumbled.

"Lucy?" asked Alfendi, looking at her, his eyes growing slightly darker, "What aren't you telling me?"

Lucy remained silent.

"Lucy!" said Alfendi, more indignantly, his hair changing a slight pink colour, "Do I have to cut out your tongue in order for you to tell me?"

"If you cut out my tongue, how would I be able to tell you, Prof?" she replied, with a cool expression on her face.

"LUCY!" bellowed Potty, no doubt enraged by his pink hair, "Tell me now!"

"Alright!" she yelled, "A few months back, Hilda told me that Justin was bailed out of jail."

"And you decided to keep this from me?!" growled Alfendi, rising to his feet, his hair standing on end.

"I knew you'd react like this, so I didn't tell you!" said Lucy, nervously, twisting her hands in her lap.

"Lucy!" he snapped, for a fourth time, "I can't believe you'd hide something like this from me! We're supposed to be partners!"

"I did this for your own good, Prof!" yelled Lucy, getting more and more upset by the minute, "You said yourself that if you ever saw him out alive, you'd kill him!"

"Well it makes no difference now, does it?" yelled Alfendi, scrunching his fists tightly, "He's dead now, isn't he?!"

The house fell completely silent, a rising tension developing between the pair of them.

"You can sleep down here tonight." said Lucy, getting up, "I'm sorry that I saved you from being accused of yet another murder."

She stormed up the stairs, her orange hair flying behind her. Alfendi heard her bedroom door slam and he heard quiet sobs emitting from upstairs. Alfendi kicked the chair and immediately winced in pain, for this was the foot that had been cut badly by the wire. He buried his face in his hands and gripped his hair tightly, tears forming in his own eyes.

"Did Justin really mean that?" thought Placid, "Am I really going to lose who I am?"

"You fool." mumbled Potty, from somewhere beyond his thoughts, "You're always going to be the cynical, snide bastard you always were."

Alfendi shook his head, his mind racing with a million and one thoughts. He lay down on the sofa and shut his eyes, blocking out the world around him.


	14. The Unusual Discrepancy

Sorry this chapter is a bit short; really busy! Please do leave comments! :)

Enjoy

AthenaX

* * *

The next morning, Lucy woke to see Alfendi lying right beside her, his arm draped over her waist. She gazed at him, his purple hair resting over his shut eyelids as he breathed in softly through his nose. She grinned. It was hard to stay mad at him.

"Morning, Prof." said Lucy, rolling over to face him properly.

"Mm?" mumbled Alfendi, opening one eye slowly, "Morning Lucy."

He shifted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest.

"I'm so sorry about last night." whispered Alfendi, kissing the top of her head, "I didn't mean to make you upset. And you did the right thing, I would have gone after him."

"Prof." she said, looking up at him, "I promise I'm always going to tell you everything from now on."

"Well unless it's going to make me kill someone," said Alfendi with a slight crazed look in his eyes, "Don't tell me."

They both chuckled. Lucy leaned over and kissed her boyfriend directly on the lips. He smiled against her, the warmth of their bodies intermingling together underneath the bedsheets. Her arms found their way to his hair and twisted it gently around her fingers. Alfendi let out a slight groan, making her insides tingle with pleasure as his hands pulled her closer to him.

"Prof…." she whispered, her lips still against his, "I love you."

"I love you more, Lucy." he murmured, pressing his lips urgently against hers. She smiled against him as he trailed kisses from her cheek to her neck, butterflies erupting in her stomach. She had never felt happier or more alive with anyone else on Earth than she did with Alfendi.

"Well, Baker?" said Alfendi, a cheeky grin on his face, "Are we just going to sit here making out or are we going to go the full distance?"

"You make a good point, Layton." said Lucy, grinning, "But I'm all yours."

Alfendi grinned and smashed his lips against hers. Her hands locked around his neck and pulled him against her, the passion filled moment igniting between them. His hands trailed up her slender frame to her cheeks as he kissed her and her hands started to unbutton his white shirt, which he had not removed since yesterday. Their bodies intertwined with each other in a moment of complete perfection, neither of them breaking the kiss.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." mumbled Alfendi, pulling away from Lucy reluctantly.

Lucy giggled and slumped back in her pillow. Alfendi grinned and got up, reaching out a hand to her. She took it and got up out of bed, pulling on a robe around her tank top and sweatpants. They both walked down the stairs to the door and Lucy unlocked it to see Hilda standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Did I…. interrupt something?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

Lucy flushed beetroot red and tried to slip away but Alfendi took her hand and smiled delicately at her. Hilda grinned.

"Oh come on now." she mused, her eyes lighting up, "You know I was only kidding. But your embarrassment made it all the more true, Lucy."

"Hilda, you really do have perfect timing." said Alfendi, placing an arm around Lucy, still slightly miffed.

"I'm known for my maddening punctuality." she said, with a wry smile.

"Well you are maddening, that's for sure." said Alfendi, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Oh well thank you." snapped Hilda, placing her arms on her hips, "You're almost just as maddening yourself."

"By 'eck." mumbled Lucy, "Justin were right. You two never stop arguing."

Hilda looked at Lucy.

"When exactly did he say that?" she asked, her eyes firing up.

"During another one of your arguments." replied Lucy, biting her lip in a vain attempt to hide her laughter.

"Well he's gone now, isn't he?" muttered Alfendi.

"What did you say, Al?' asked Hilda, placing her hand underneath her chin.

"Justin shot himself dead last night." said Lucy, quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Wha-?" stammered Hilda, "Don't be absurd, Lucy!"

"Lucy is quite right, Hilda." said Alfendi, rubbing his neck with a pained expression on his face, "He did kill himself last night."

"What are you both on about?" asked Hilda, looking completely baffled, "Justin's not dead."

"Well he's escaped from jail and there's no sign of him." said Lucy, twisting her hands together, "What other explanation may there be?"

"He's alive." said Hilda, firmly.

"Why are you so adamant to let go of the past?" muttered Alfendi.

"Because I saw Justin at the office today." said Hilda, crossing her arms over her chest, her eyebrows furrowing, "So if this is some kind of practical joke that you two are pulling, I don't think that it's very funny."

"You think we'd lie about this?" said Lucy, incredulously, "The Prof said that Ju-"

She stopped mid-sentence as Alfendi gently nudged her in the ribs, giving her a small look. It was a look that she knew all too well since the beginning of her days working with the Prof in the Mystery Room. It meant that they would come back to it later.

"Why exactly _are_ you here, Hilda?" asked Alfendi, leaning against the doorframe, crossing one leg in front of the other, "Surely you had better reasons to come round to Lucy's house on a Saturday morning."

"It's a bit….unexpected." murmured Lucy, "Normally you do call about stuff like this before you come over."

"Well this was urgent." said Hilda, looking carefully at Lucy, "And more important than your makeout session, no less."

"Well you know what they say." said Alfendi, with a cheeky grin on his face, "Placid on the streets and Potty in the sheets."

"Prof!" said Lucy in a hushed whisper, her face flaring up with embarrassment, "You can't say that!"

"Well, it's true isn't it?" said Alfendi, a smirk playing across his lips as he winked deviously at Lucy. She blushed under his penetrating gaze and her eyes averted back to Hilda's amused expression.

"Actually…" said Hilda, "I was hoping to speak to Lucy _alone_."

She stressed the 'alone', looking at Alfendi in the process. He raised both his hands in a surrender motion.

"Alright, fine." he said, "But don't take too long."

He walked off back into the house, leaving the two women alone outside in the calm breeze.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Hilda?" asked Lucy, pulling her dressing gown over her shoulders.

"It's about Justin." said Hilda, "I'm assuming by now that you've told Al about Justin's escape from prison?"

"You know I can't keep stuff like this from t' Prof." said Lucy, a worried look in her eyes, "We had a massive fallout yesterday."

"Hmm." said Hilda, "Well you might have to keep this one in your thoughts for a few days."

"Why, what is it?" she asked, nervously.

"I saw Justin, as I mentioned." said Hilda, looking around to make sure that no one was listening, "But he mentioned being threatened by Al at gunpoint."

"Wh-?" stammered Lucy, her mouth falling open in shock, "But that's-"

"I know it's probably not what Al told you, Lucy." said Hilda, sadly, "But Justin…"

"Justin lied once Hilda!" said Lucy, her fists balling up and her voice raising, "Does this seriously mean you're going to take his side yet again?"

"Lucy…" began Hilda, impatiently.

"Seriously?!" growled Lucy, "The man tried to frame the Prof, for crying out loud! You're seriously going to believe that son of a-"

"Lucy…" muttered Hilda, "He showed me video evidence of Al threatening him."

"That's…" breathed Lucy, "That's ridiculous."


	15. The Mysterious Disappearance

These chapters are getting short...I'm so sorry, but I do hope that you like them!

AthenaX

* * *

"Lucy, I'm going out." said Alfendi, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

Lucy was curled up on the sofa, her eyes glued to the screen where a TV programme blared at medium volume. She held a cream biscuit in her hands, which was half-eaten, crumbs falling onto her jeans without her noticing.

"Aye, where you goin' Prof?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Just for a little walk." said Alfendi, rubbing his head slightly, "These past few days have been a nightmare and I need some time to think."

The Jeremy Summer Show played on the TV screen and a young lass was shouting at a man about something or another. Lucy wasn't really paying attention to the programme; she just wanted a distraction too.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, half hoping that Alfendi would say yes.

He gave her a small smile.

"No, Lucy." he said, leaning down and kissing her on the head, "It's cold out. You stay in here, keep warm and I'll be back before you know it."

She smiled and before he could pull away, she hung her arms around his neck and drew herself up to him so that they were eye to eye.

"I love you Prof." she whispered, placing her forehead against his.

"I love you more, Lucy." he murmured, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace before pulling away, "And how many times have I told you to call me Al?"

She grinned.

"Well you'll always be t' Prof to me!" she giggled. Alfendi's face lit up as he kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I'll be back in an hour, maximum." he said, "I promise."

"Well ya never break a promise, do you Prof?" she said, slumping back down on the sofa, her eyes once again fixating on the screen in front of her.

He chuckled to himself. Lucy was really adorable when she had a pout on her face.

"Don't miss me too much." he said, patting her hand before walking out of the house.

* * *

He walked down the street, shutting his eyes every so often to feel the breeze flutter through his purple hair. He felt freer, but did not know how to explain it. Shoving his hands deeper into his coat pockets, he turned a corner and stopped for a moment. He stood, leaning against a wall, one leg up as he breathed in and out.

He was thoroughly puzzled by the week's events. Who wouldn't be? He stood there quietly, his mind racing with thoughts until he heard the click of a gun from behind him.

"Well, Alfendi Layton." said a snide voice, "Didn't expect to see you here."

Alfendi stiffened, his pulse rapidly quickening. He inclined his head sharply to see Justin Lawson standing there, pointing the gun straight at him.

"Lawson." said Alfendi, taking his foot down off the wall and standing up straight, "What do you want?"

"You…" snarled Justin, his eyes filled with hatred, "You ruined my life."

"You died right in front of me…" mumbled Alfendi, slightly shocked, "What-?"

"You think I seriously shot myself?" chuckled Justin, darkly, "I figured I'd need something a little more than murdering someone else to put you behind bars."

"Put the past behind you Justin." snapped Alfendi, taking his hands out of his coat pockets, "You were the one to blame for what happened at Forbodium."

"If you hadn't come in." growled Justin, "You and your…. girlfriend, Baker."

"Leave her out of this." said Alfendi, angrily.

"Oh come on." said Justin, an exasperated look on his face, "A simpleton like her? What do you see in her?"

"I see everything I want and more." said Alfendi, firmly, "Now what do you want?"

"I want you to come with me." said Justin, pointing the gun at Alfendi.

"Why?" asked Alfendi, "Surely the devious mind of Justin Lawson can cope on his own for whatever he's planning next."

"You and your smart mouth." grinned Justin, evilly, "That's one of the things I'll miss when you're behind bars."

"And how exactly are you planning to put me behind bars?" asked Alfendi, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's for me to know, isn't it?" said Justin, his eyes firing up.

"What did you do to me?" Alfendi asked, walking closer to Justin.

"Earl Grey is your favourite, right?" asked Justin, a sneer spreading across his face.

"That was you!" muttered Alfendi, "I knew it."

"Surely the son of the great Hershel Layton would know never to accept tea from strangers?" said Justin, in a mocking tone.

"Why are you doing all of this?" asked Alfendi, growing ever more impatient.

"You'll find out soon enough." said Justin, "Now come with me!"

"Is that gun even loaded?" said Alfendi, in a mocking tone, "Surely you wouldn't shoot your own colleague, would you, Justin?"

Justin fired a single shot into the air and birds immediately flew away.

"You want to try me, Al?" he snarled, pointing the gun at Alfendi's face again, "Move it."

Alfendi placed his hands in the air and walked directly in front of Justin. They carried on walking until they reached a small stone house in the middle of nowhere. Alfendi walked into a room, much like the one that he had seen previously when he was living that nightmare.

"Get in." muttered Justin, shoving Alfendi into the room and slamming the door shut.

"Let me out, you bastard!" yelled Alfendi, pounding on the door.

"This is where you die." said Justin, his voice echoing through a tannoy in the room.

"…"

* * *

Hilda and Lucy were sat next to each other on the large red couch in Lucy's home.

"Prof's been gone for hours now." murmured Lucy, hugging his lab coat to her chest, "It's not like him to vanish."

"Relax, Lucy." said Hilda, examining her fingernails, "Al's always had a spontaneous nature."

"But he's-" she mumbled.

"Look." said Hilda, looking up, "I know you love him to bits, but sometimes you have to allow the man to let of a little steam."

"Hilda." said Lucy, looking her dead in the eye, "Are you really going to lecture me about men?"

"Well…" began Hilda, slightly taken aback, "I _have_ known Al for longer than you have."

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"I know, Hilda." sighed Lucy, leaning back on the sofa, "I'm sorry."

Hilda leaned over and placed a hand on Lucy's leg.

"He'll be alright." said Hilda, smiling at her.

"I'm not so sure." said Lucy, looking out of the window.

At that precise moment, a thunderstorm crashed and battered the windows. Lucy got up and walked to the window. She placed her hand against the cold glass and stared out into the darkening night sky.

"Prof…" she whispered, "Where are you?"


	16. Talk To Me

Okay these chapters are getting more shorter and more rubbish each time I update XD Please tell me how I can improve and do leave comments as I'd love to read them!

AthenaX :)

* * *

Alfendi opened the door to Lucy's house and walked in, his joints and limbs all stiff. He ached all over, but he stumbled through the door and locked it. He suddenly tripped and fell, crashing headlong into Lucy, who was standing in the doorway, her eyes bloodshot.

"Where have you been?!" asked Lucy, glaring up at Alfendi, "Talk to me!"

She reached for his cheeks, that were now blushed pink from the howling wind outside, but he pushed her away. Hurt, she followed him into the house.

"What is wrong with you?" said Lucy, suddenly, her temper rising, "You're this far away from getting a Lucy Lamping!"

Alfendi stopped and turned to look at her.

"I killed Justin, alright?" said Alfendi, looking directly at her in an aggravated manner.

"But...he were alive!" stammered Lucy, "Hilda told us, remember?"

"He's dead for real this time." said Alfendi, decisively, "And I'm the one who shot him."

"Wh-..." mumbled Lucy, "That can't be true!"

"Why do you always act like you know exactly what's going on?" snapped Alfendi, his tone rising.

"It's because most of the time, my intuitions are correct!" she yelled, stamping her foot down on the ground, "And Potty Prof said himself that-!"

"I don't care what he said, Lucy!" shouted Alfendi, "That's NOT me! I've admitted I've killed Justin, now can you shut your trap and go to bed?!"

There was an ominous silence that filled the room. Lucy and Alfendi were both trembling in unequivocal rage, as they looked at each other in the dim light of the living room.

"You're not yourself, Prof." said Lucy, trembling, "I'm staying at Hilda's until you get yourself together."

She blinked rapidly to hide the tears forming in her eyes and reached for her coat that was draped over the sofa. Any other time, Alfendi would have tried to stop her or he would have let out a large sigh, she thought. But not tonight. He marched up the stairs like he didn't give a second thought about her. She painfully shut her eyes and grabbing her keys, exited her house, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

She ran, blinded by her own tears, all the way to Hilda's house. She banged her fists on the door loudly; so loudly in fact that Hilda's neighbours peered out of the window to see what all the commotion was about.

"Mind your damn business and stick your noses elsewhere!" Lucy yelled, as the door clicked open.

"Lucy..." said Hilda, blinking sleepily, "It's one-thirty in the morning, what are you doing here?"

"I need that book." said Lucy, storming in to Hilda's house, as she shut the door.

"What book are you talking about?" mumbled Hilda, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"That book that Justin read to the Prof while he was in a coma." said Lucy, her eyes darting around Hilda's living room.

"Brainwashing?" said Hilda, her eyes snapping open almost immediately, "What about it?"

"The Prof came home tonight and he was in a state." said Lucy, "He weren't himself and he seemed so distant."

"But that's how Alfendi sometimes is-" began Hilda.

"That's not all." said Lucy, sitting down on Hilda's sofa, "He says that he killed Justin tonight."

"What?" said Hilda, thoroughly confused, "But I saw him-"

"I know." said Lucy, cutting across her, impatiently, "Even though the Prof said that he killed Justin, I have a feeling that he's still alive."

"Lucy..." began Hilda, "Justin could be absolutely anywhere right now. And we don't know for certain that he's still alive."

"Well he can't leave the country." said Lucy, firmly, "He had his passport taken from him when he went to jail and he also got kicked out of the Yard, so he can't do much."

"That's true." said Hilda, "But why do you need that book?"

"Just tell me where I can get it, Hilda." said Lucy, placing her hands on her hips.

"Justin ordered its destruction a few years ago." said Hilda, sitting down on the chair near the sofa and crossing her legs, "So I have no idea where you'd be able to get a copy."

"Justin destroyed it?" mumbled Lucy, her nose scrunching up in thought, "But surely he'd be the one trying to use it."

"What are you on about, lass?" muttered Hilda, drifting back and forth between her sleepy state.

"I have to find that book." said Lucy, firmly, "And then I have to find Justin."

"You're never going to find him." mumbled Hilda, "That man could be anywhere."

"Well I'm going to try." said Lucy, "Prof isn't himself and I know he'd want me to help him."

"You can stay here for tonight." said Hilda, getting to her feet, "But I need you back at the office early tomorrow."

"What?" asked Lucy, incredulous that she could even bother to go back to work if the Alfendi she knew wasn't there, "Why?"

Hilda gave her a condescending look.

"It _is_ Scotland Yard, after all, Lucy." she said, a slight sneer appearing on her tired face, "And we do have cases to solve."

"You've got to be having a laugh..." said Lucy, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling, "I can't be at t' Mystery Room."

"Because you have to sort out Al." said Hilda, smiling at her, "I know."

Lucy gave Hilda a weak smile as she shut her eyes.

"You didn't seem too shocked when I told you Justin might be dead." said Lucy, her eyes still shut. Hilda sighed.

"I know." she said, running a hand through her freshly washed hair, "I've known Justin for a lot longer than I've known Al, but Justin is just a narcissistic arse."

"That he is." said Lucy, twisting her hands together, "Do you know why Justin tried to frame the Prof for all that happened at Forebodium?"

"I honestly have no idea, Lucy." said Hilda, walking over to a cupboard and opening it, removing a blanket and a pillow, "Whatever the reason, Justin always has his motives."

She handed Lucy the pillow and blanket, as she twisted her face up in concentration.

"What did you mean by Al not being…the same?" she asked, looking carefully at Lucy.

"He's just….different." said Lucy, opening her eyes again to look at Hilda, "He's been acting weird since he got home a few hours ago."

"Al is weird, Lucy." said Hilda, a small smile appearing on her face, "He always has been. Even though you're used to his Placid nature…"

"No." said Lucy, shaking her head, "This is different. He isn't Potty or Placid. He's somewhere else."

"The thing is." said Hilda, a small smile appearing on her face, "Is that 4 years ago, you wouldn't have suspected that Potty Prof was Al's real personality."

"Aye." said Lucy, stretching out onto the sofa and pushing the pillow onto the armrest, "What about it?"

"You brought him out of his cage once, Lucy." said Hilda, quietly, "Potty Prof hadn't resurfaced since Forbodium, until you came along."

"Huh?" said Lucy, her eyes snapping open in shock, "But why did it work when I-?"

"Yet another question we can't answer." said Hilda, rubbing her neck in slight frustration.

"Too many questions, not enough answers." murmured Lucy, closing her eyes and immediately falling asleep. Hilda smiled at her and drew the covers up over her sleeping figure.

"Night Lucy." said Hilda.

"Night Hilda…." murmured Lucy, burying her face in the pillow. Hilda walked out of the room, switching off all the lights.

"Night…Prof…" mumbled Lucy, swallowing hard to stop tears from falling down her cheeks.


	17. The Judge's Verdict

The next morning, Lucy traipsed into the Mystery Room, reluctantly dragging her heels as she did so. Her eyelids were heavy with sleep and her hair was frizzy. Hilda was standing behind Alfendi's desk, bent over, looking at a case file, a puzzled expression crossing her face. She looked up and saw Lucy, immediately feeling sorry for the poor girl.

"Lucy?" she asked, examining Lucy's face carefully, "Are…you alright?"

Lucy let out a loud sigh.

"Take one look at me, Hilda." she said, an exasperated look crossing her face, "Do I look alright to you?"

Hilda kept her mouth shut. She didn't think it would be best to answer that question, given Lucy's current state. She picked up a lukewarm mug of tea that was on the table of the Mystery Room and gave it an oddly large sip.

"There's something happening in the court room." said Hilda, nervously, "You're going to want to see it."

A wash of anxiety flooded Lucy's body as she started to shake slightly.

"Not….t' Prof?" she stammered, backing slowly towards the door. Hilda gave her a sad nod.

Lucy opened the door, bolting through the corridors, nearly knocking Florence and Sniffer to the ground as she shot past them like a bullet.

"My God." murmured Florence, "She must have heard about the court case."

"I did tell you to ring her up early this morning." said Sniffer, staring at Florence with an indignant look on his face.

"Oh just shut up will you-ACHOO!" sneezed Florence, nearly dropping her files on the floor.

"Seriously, Flo!" said Sniffer, annoyed, "Get your allergies under control!"

* * *

Lucy sped down the halls which seemed to be getting longer and longer the more she ran down them. Finally, she reached a large wooden door with a gold plaque on it that read 'Court Room' in emblazoned capital letters. She could hear the Prof from inside the room and as her heart thudded ferociously against her ribcage, she placed a sweaty hand against the door and pushed it open. She entered the room to see Alfendi standing there in the middle of the court room, looking directly at the judge.

"Judge Halley." said Lucy, walking forward and stopping a few inches behind Alfendi.

"Lucy." said the judge, a slight smile crossing her weary face, "What brings you here, dear?"

"Lucy." said Alfendi in a brittle tone, "Get out."

"No." said Lucy, her voice shaking slightly as she clenched her fists, "What's this in aid of, Judge Halley?"

"Well Alfendi here tells me that he is the one responsible for the death of Justin Law-" began the judge.

"That's ridiculous." said Lucy, cutting smoothly across her, "Surely you have no evidence against the Prof."

"Other than the fact that he's being quite serious about the matter." said Judge Halley, looking slightly worried.

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Lucy, her voice raising, "If he killed Justin, where's the proof?"

"Lucy, I'm turning myself in before it becomes a big deal." said Alfendi, his voice laced with subtle anger, "Can you just listen to what you're told for once and go home?"

"Oh SHUT UP PROF!" screamed Lucy, her eyes wide and cheeks flaring up.

The whole court room fell silent. Lucy heard the door open from behind her but she did not look back once.

"So how did you kill Justin, Prof?" snarled Lucy, playing him at his own game. A small smirk crossed Alfendi's lips as he looked straight at Lucy.

"Why I shot him once through the head." said Alfendi, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

"And so help me." growled Lucy, "Where is the most important bit of any crime scene?"

"Which is?" stammered Judge Halley, trying and failing to keep up with the events unfolding in front of her.

"The dead body!" said Lucy, staring directly at the Prof, no longer afraid to look him in the eyes, "Can you tell me exactly where that is?"

Alfendi fell silent, his eyes darting in all directions except for Lucy's. Lucy carefully looked into his eyes. They seemed glazed, emotionless and further away from this world than they had ever been before.

"All I can tell you is that _this_ ," said Lucy, her voice shaking as she pointed straight at Alfendi, "Is not the Prof I know."

"Lucy, just what is happening?" asked Judge Halley, thoroughly confused.

"I'll tell you what." said Alfendi, roughly, his eyes darkening, "She's confused. She doesn't know the first thing about me."

"Al…" mumbled Judge Halley, "Slow down-"

"NO!" yelled Alfendi, his angry tone tearing through the fragile atmosphere of the courtroom, "I've told you I've killed Justin. Now lock me in a damn cell before I change my mind!"

"Why are you so….aggravating, Prof?!" yelled Lucy, tears in her eyes, "All I'm doing is trying to help you!"

"Well maybe I don't NEED your help!" yelled Alfendi, turning to look at her.

There was a stunned silence in the room, as Hilda walked stiffly forward with something in her hands.

"Judge Halley." she said, walking right up to her, "I think you should see this."

"Ah yes." said Alfendi, smiling, "The tape."

Judge Halley looked completely confused, as she put the tape into the tape player.

"Wait." stammered Lucy, "That doesn't prove anything, you have to-!"

"Al?" said Judge Halley, grasping the sides of the table in shock, "Is that you….threatening Justin?"

"What do you think?" asked Alfendi, crossing his arms, as a gunshot echoed on the screen as it cut to black.

"Alfendi Layton." said Judge Halley, her eyes wide but decisive, "I charge you guilty of the murder of Justin Lawson."

"What?!" stuttered Lucy, "No…."

"Lucy." said Judge Halley, getting up, "The verdict is passed. Go home, dear."

"I…." stammered Lucy, twisting her hands together, battling not to break into tears, "This isn't right."

Alfendi was immediately seized by two policemen, who dragged him off to the cells. Hilda grabbed Lucy's arm and led her out of the court room, back to the Mystery Room. There was an eerie silence between them both and once the door was shut, Lucy exploded.

"How could you do that?!" she yelled, her orange cap, askew on her head, "I thought you were with me on this!"

"Well, I found something that you might want to take a look at." said Hilda, picking up a book off the desk and showing it to Lucy.

"Brainwashing?" said Lucy, immediately quieting down, "But…. how did you get that?"

"It's mine." said Hilda, firmly.

"Why didn't you tell me you had it before?" asked Lucy, half puzzled and half annoyed, "I thought you said all the copies were destroyed."

"Oh did I?" said Hilda, "Well seems I must have been able to tell the future then."

She quickly took out a lighter, set the book on fire and threw it out of the window.

"Wh-!" stammered Lucy, rushing to the window. The book had landed on the street and was now burning to ashes rapidly.

"You keep doing this, Lucy." said Hilda in a menacing tone, "And Alfendi is going to get hurt."

"What are you on about, Hilda?" said Lucy, her eyes ablaze as she turned around.

But Hilda had already vanished.


	18. Strange Discoveries

Guys, can I just apologise for the seriously late update? I've been so busy with revision and the like, so I haven't had much time to update :( Hope you like this chapter, and Metric Mayhem, thank you so much for the advice! It's really helping! :)

Please do leave comments; I'd love to read them!

Enjoy!

AthenaX

* * *

Lucy opened the door to her house and walked in silently. She closed it and leaned against it, resting her head on the cold wood of the door. The house seemed emptier now that Alfendi was nowhere to be seen.

"He's in prison now." said Lucy, her voice laced with despair and slight amusement, for she had never thought that she would be saying that.

She walked over to the couch and saw a neatly folded bedsheet and a pillow resting at the other end of it. Tears formed in her eyes as she collapsed down onto the sofa, burying herself head first in it, just as Alfendi did.

"Ow." she mumbled, twisting around on the couch as she felt something dig into her rib-cage. She propped herself up on her elbow and reached for the object that was crushing into her. She held it up to the light and stared at it, puzzled. It was small, wooden and had jagged edges.

It was a cog.

"What's this doing here?" thought Lucy, "We don't have any mechanical objects around the house."

She looked on the back and there was an axe and a spanner forming an X shape on the back of it.

"That's weird, that is." thought Lucy, getting up off the sofa and putting the cog in her pocket.

It was still light outside, almost nearing five in the afternoon. Lucy decided to head over to see Professor Layton, since she hadn't seen the man in a while. Plus, he deserved to know about what was happening with Alfendi.

* * *

She exited her house and hopped on the nearest bus to Gressenheller University, where she hoped that he would still be. The university greeted her in all its grandeur as she stopped for a moment to take in its stunning architecture. She walked through the large double doors that swung open automatically, sending a large breeze rippling through her hair. A middle-aged receptionist greeted her.

"Hallo ma'am." she said, her glasses sliding down her nose as she spoke, "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Professor Layton's office, please?" asked Lucy, as politely as she could muster.

"Name?" she asked.

"Lucy Baker." said Lucy.

"Ah." said the woman, "Let me just check if you have a scheduled appointment with him."

There was a silence between the two, as the clacking of keys was the only sound heard amid the bustling of the University students moving swiftly to their lectures.

"Oh…" muttered the lady, "It seems that you don't have an appointment with him."

"Are you sure?" said Lucy, desperately trying to make it seem like she had booked an earlier appointment, "Check again under my surname, Baker."

"I'm sorry, but you're really not on the-" began the woman.

"It's alright, Margaret." said Layton, appearing from behind a door, "She's with me. Come through, Lucy."

Lucy nodded and made her way into Layton's office, almost tripping over a rug in her haste.

"Well it sure is a surprise to see you here, my dear." said Layton, smiling as Lucy shut the door, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with something." she stammered, as she sat down on the green couch, "It's about Alfendi…"

And so, she told him her complete version of events of what was happening with Alfendi. Layton was silent for a few moments, before he spoke.

"You are quite right, dear." he said, worriedly, "There is something wrong with Alfendi. Have you found anything out of the ordinary whilst you were with him?"

"No." said Lucy, "But I'm glad someone agrees th' Prof has changed."

"You mean to say that no one at Scotland Yard believed you?" asked Layton, in disbelief.

"No one." she murmured, looking down at her lap.

"Fine policing service we have today." said Layton, shaking his head, "But what has Alfendi done around you to make you think this?"

Lucy remained silent for a moment.

"He hasn't..." whispered Layton, in horror, "...hit you, has he?"

"Oh good golly, no!" exclaimed Lucy, "I don't think t' Prof would ever hit me..."

She trailed off into silence as her voice broke slightly, tears glazing over her eyes. Layton reached for her hand.

"What has he done then?" he asked, patiently.

"Well, he's just been acting differently." said Lucy, rubbing her eyes, "He never hugs or kisses me anymore. And our relationship is just-"

She stopped for a moment.

"Lucy?" asked Layton, concerned, "Is everything alright?

Lucy giggled briefly.

"I can't believe I'm asking Professor Layton for relationship advice!" she giggled, a slightly crazed look in her eyes.

Layton chuckled.

"Well Alfendi is not himself." said Layton, "No matter how reckless his personality can get, it's not enough to put him in prison, so something must have happened."

"I know the Prof." said Lucy, "He wouldn't just hand himself over like that."

"His Placid nature would." said Layton, thinking.

"But even then, he was more forceful." said Lucy, "At the court case, I mean. He was somewhere in between."

"Somewhere in between?" asked Layton, curiously, "That is odd."

"And there's also this." said Lucy, bringing out the cog from her pocket and showing it to Layton, "I found this in the house a few hours ago. Probably not important, but-"

"What?" asked Layton, his face turning pale as he looked at the cog in detail.

"Have you seen this somewhere before?" asked Lucy, reading his expression rapidly.

Layton nodded.

"I think I know someone who can help us." said Layton, getting up immediately, "Get your coat, Lucy."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the office, Sniffer and Florence were starting to close up for the night.

"Didn't Lucy and Hilda say they wanted to meet us for drinks tonight?" asked Florence, hopeful.

"You? Drinking?" scoffed Sniffer, "Pur-lease."

"You and your drinks don't mix well either." snapped Florence, "Remember last Christmas when you took off your-"

"Alright!" said Sniffer, annoyed, "Let's get the girls and go."

They walked towards the Mystery Room, progressively squinting in the dark, as most of the lights were off in the corridor.

"By 'eck." said Florence, "Why the hell did they turn out all the-ACHOO!"

"Lights?" said Sniffer, getting worried, "No idea."

They reached the door of the Mystery Room. Sniffed knocked on the door.

"Lucy? Hilda?" he called, "We're ready to go!"

There was no answer.

"Guys?" asked Florence, as she opened the door. What greeted them was a sight of pure horror.

Hilda was lying on the floor, her blonde hair splayed out in a mess underneath her body, which was twitching uncontrollably. Her face was grey and her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, as she mumbled uncontrollably. Her speech was inaudible and her body began to thrash around on the floor, as foam started to seep out of her mouth.

"OH MY-!" exclaimed Sniffer, clutching Florence's arm.

"Well don't just stand there!" screeched Florence, "Attend to her and I'll call emergency services!"

"O-ok." stammered Sniffer, flinging himself down by Hilda's side and picking up her body in his arms, placing one hand behind her back and another against her cheek, as he proceeded to unhelpfully shake her.

"You moron!" snapped Florence, holding the phone, "Pump her chest and stomach! You want to get whatever that is out of her, not back in her!"

Sniffer hurriedly did what Florence told him and Hilda started to gasp for air.

"Hello?" shouted Florence, through the phone, "Yes, I need an ambulance here directly to Scotland Yard-ACHOO!"

"We're on our way, madam." said the operator, as Florence hung up the phone.

"Florence, help me!" shouted Sniffer. Florence rushed to Hilda's side and took her hand.

"Who did this to you?" she whispered.

Hilda spluttered and her eyes travelled to the teacup resting on the desk. Florence looked up and walked over to it. There was a teabag in the cup with a small amount of liquid that was seeping out of it. The tea and the teabag were both stained slightly red and Florence almost dropped the cup in her shock.

"This tea's been spiked." she said, stumbling backwards, "Sniffer, make sure that Hilda gets safely to the hospital!"

"B-But where are you going?" stammered Sniffer, as Florence rushed to the door.

"To investigate this teacup." said Florence, slamming the door behind her.


	19. Gathering Evidence

Alright guys? Hope you like this new chapter! Also, spoilers for anyone who hasn't actually played the game _Professor Layton and the Curious Villag_ e! :)

Enjoy!

AthenaX

* * *

"By 'eck Professor," said Lucy, sitting comfortably inside the Laytonmobile, "Where are we going?"

Lucy and Professor Layton had got into his car a few hours earlier and were now driving rapidly away from the city, as they sped into the countryside.

"Remember when I said that I had a lead?" said Layton, averting his eyes from the road to look at Lucy for a moment, "I recognised that cog when I saw it."

"But from where?" asked Lucy, still puzzled, as she stared out of the window at the slowly darkening sky.

"Luke didn't tell you?" chuckled Layton, "My, my…that case was all he could talk about for weeks!"

"You don't mean to say that this….thing was another of your cases?" stammered Lucy, shooting a gaze straight at Layton, her hat sliding to one side of her head.

Layton nodded. They pulled up just outside what looked like a small village and Lucy peered out of the window to see a drawbridge blocking the entrance.

"Welcome, Lucy," said Professor Layton, stopping the car, "To St. Mystere."

"It's a beautiful town, aye." she said, getting out of the car, "But too silent."

"Mm indeed." said Layton, closing the door to the Laytonmobile as they walked up to the riverside, "This town used to be so busy and filled with life."

"What happened then?" asked Lucy, looking nervously at the river below her.

"We found out something that changed our entire perspective." said Layton.

"Eh, Mr Layton!" roared a voice from the other side of the drawbridge, "Good to see you back 'ere after so long, eh?"

A slightly pudgy man stood at the entrance to the village, his red cap pulled down over his eyes. It was a miracle that he could even see anything. His baggy blue shorts were drawn up around his waist and his moustache twitched to and fro as he spoke.

"Hello Franco." said Layton, tipping his hat, "Would you mind lowering the drawbridge for us?"

"Ah yeah sure." said Franco, reaching behind him, "Who's this lil' lassie?"

Lucy turned slightly red, but introduced herself all the same.

"Ah you look like that little boy that the Professor had with him years back." said Franco, thoughtfully, "What was his name?"

"Luke Triton." said Lucy, smiling, "He's my cousin, actually."

"Sweet." said Franco, "Now I'm going to let this drawbridge down; stand back ai-ght?"

The drawbridge came creaking down, as Franco grunted and heaved, putting all his effort into lowering it.

"That poor man." whispered Lucy, "Summat else ought to do it if he can't."

"I'm strong enough, you know." said Franco, as the drawbridge crashed to the ground, "Plus, I have a sense of importance, standing 'ere."

"Well there's your answer, Lucy." said Layton, smiling, "Let's go in."

They both crossed the bridge, carefully. Lucy wandered into the town and Professor Layton lingered a minute to speak with Franco. He took out the cog from his pocket and showed it to him.

"Franco." murmured Layton, showing him the cog, "Any idea where I might find _him_?"

Franco's eyes widened as he looked down at the cog, but he quickly snapped out of his trance.

"He's probably up in the remains of the tower." said Franco, chuckling, "Even though he was offered a fancy house and what-not."

"Thank you, Franco." said Layton, "We'll be back soon."

"Take care, Professor." said Franco, sitting down on his chair next to the drawbridge.

Layton walked up rapidly behind Lucy so that she wouldn't notice that he was gone.

"Professor, this town is amazing!" she said, her eyes shining for the first time in days, "How come we never knew about this?"

"I made the Yard promise to keep this case under wraps." said Layton, walking beside Lucy, "I assume you haven't heard about it?"

"No, never." said Lucy.

"Well, you should know." said Layton, "This is the place where we found Flora."

"You're joking." said Lucy, surprised," Here?"

"Mm." said Layton, as he walked through the door to the clock tower, "See, Flora was part of a family that had a large fortune, and whoever could locate it, would be offered their entire estate."

"By 'eck." said Lucy, surprised, "So I assume the press never got hold of it, otherwise they'd have had a field day, aye?"

"Precisely." said Layton, as he continued walking through the clock tower.

"Er….Professor?" mumbled Lucy, "It's really dark."

Layton chuckled.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" he asked, taking off his blazer and offering to drape it around her shoulders. This immediately made Lucy think of Alfendi and her eyes clouded over.

"No thank you, Professor." she stammered, shaking her head, "I'm alright."

"Alright." said Layton, stopping in front of a wall, "We're here."

"Er…" stammered Lucy, again, "It's a dead end, Professor."

Layton smiled at her and knocked on the wall. It opened almost immediately and a booming voice echoed.

"Enter!"

Lucy jumped and let out a small shriek, hiding instantly behind Layton. He chucked and patted her shoulder.

"Now, Lucy." said Layton, "Do you want to wait here while I talk to this man?"

This seemed to have an instantaneous effect on Lucy.

"Wha-" she mumbled, "No! I'm coming in with you!"

They both walked into the dark room that had a flickering desk lamp placed inconveniently on the floor. Lucy almost tripped over it, but Layton caught her arm to stop her from flying directly into a nearby wall.

"Well, well." said a voice, "If it isn't Professor Layton come back to see me."

"Hello…Bruno." said Layton, as the elderly figure of Bruno emerged from the shadows, slightly hunched over, as he held a spanner in one of his spindly hands, "Meet Lucy Baker."

* * *

Meanwhile, Florence was back at the lab, teacup in hand, examining the contents of the cup. She took a sample of the tea and placed it into a small test tube. Mixing it with a few chemicals, she shook it and held it up to the light. The spot on the bag turned green.

"Just what I thought it was…." she muttered, placing the evidence into another bag and putting it in a drawer, safely locking it behind her.

"Flo?" said Sniffer, popping his head around the door, "I'm going to see Hilda; are you coming?"

Florence sighed deeply.

"Yes." she said, turning around and picking up her handbag.

"Did you find out what the drug was?" asked Sniffer, as Florence locked the door to the lab.

"Yes, but I'll tell you on the way." she said in hushed tones.

They got on the bus that was travelling to the hospital and Sniffer turned to Florence.

"So?" he asked.

"The drug was a mind control drug." said Florence, "There's many of them floating around in the criminal underworld, so I had to test for each of them."

"Which one did it end up being?" asked Sniffer.

"Ever heard of Timoxeline Barbabutenol?" said Florence, looking directly at Sniffer.

Sniffer looked extremely puzzled.

"No." he said, "Never. But I'm guessing it's a mind control drug."

Florence rolled her eyes as she looked out of the window.

"Yes." she said, "But it's extremely rare, so I see why you've never heard of it. Whoever put that drug into the tea was relying on either Lucy or Hilda to drink it, since they were the only two people in the room at that time."

There was a short silence before Florence continued to speak.

"The side effects of the drug would include snappiness, headaches, nausea, body stiffness and general ignorance." said Florence.

"Hilda must have drunk it." said Sniffer, immediately, "Lucy said that she was acting very oddly yesterday."

"And yes, the tea would have been the only thing that would make her have side effects." said Florence, "She's a healthy, young woman."

"But that means…" said Sniffer, a realisation dawning on him.

"Exactly." said Florence, "We know that our Hilda Pertinax would never turn Alfendi in, even if she had evidence against him. There's just too much history there."

"So she handed over the tape of Al threatening Justin, under the influence of that mind control drug!" said Sniffer, his voice rising in slight excitement and anger.

Florence nodded.

"That's my theory at least." said Florence, getting up, "Here we are."

They both got off the bus and headed straight into the hospital. They went straight into Hilda's ward, where Hilda was lying on the bed, her face deathly pale and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Hilda?" murmured Florence, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

Hilda's eyes snapped awake and her hand clamped over Florence's.

"Florence…." she wheezed, "You have to listen, the tea had a-"

"Drug in it." said Florence, nodding, "We know."

"But that's not it-" she gasped, "Jus-"

A nurse appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Pertinax!" she exclaimed, "You're supposed to be resting! Guests, out! Now!"

"But sh-" stammered Sniffer.

"OUT!" shouted the nurse, ushering Florence and Sniffer out of the door and slamming it in their faces.

"What a nice lady." murmured Florence, shaking her head.

"Now what?" asked Sniffer, fisting his hands in his hair frustratingly.

"We tell Lucy everything." said Florence, walking towards the exit of the hospital with Sniffer close to her heels.

* * *

A/N: Did anyone catch the glaringly obvious Johnny English reference here? ;)

AthenaX


	20. The Secrets Are Revealed (Pt 1)

Hi Readers! This is going to be one of a few parts, because there's a lot of stuff to come to light! :D I do hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Again, spoilers for the people who haven't played the game _Professor Layton and the Curious Village_! :)

Do please leave comments; I'd love to read them!

AthenaX :)

* * *

Alfendi opened his eyes and groaned. He had been here for what seemed like weeks. All he wanted to do was to get out and breathe fresh air again, not to mention have Lucy back in his arms. He remembered her crushed expression during their argument and again during the court case and it broke his heart. She was going to leave him for sure.

His limbs felt like they were on fire as he tried to stretch, but his body would no longer obey him. He was awash with exhaustion and melancholy, but there was currently nothing he could do about it. All he could do was sit and wait for time to tick and reveal the events that really happened.

* * *

Lucy sat on her couch, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands and the Prof's coat draped around her shoulders. She had barely even taken a sip of the hot chocolate as she stared blankly at the television in front of her, the light illuminating the room.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Who is it?" called Lucy.

"Lucy." said a voice, "It's me, Florence. Sniffer is here too."

"Guys…." mumbled Lucy, "I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"We have some new information." said Sniffer.

"Alright." said Lucy, reluctantly getting up and opening the door. They both traipsed in, looking shattered.

"Guys?" asked Lucy, a shocked expression creeping onto her face, "What's going on?"

"We'll tell you." said Florence, crashing down onto the sofa, "But first, you have to know, Hilda is in the hospital."

"What?!" exclaimed Lucy, sitting up straight, "Why?!"

"I'll explain." said Florence, grimly.

So for the next hour, Florence explained all the evidence that she had found and also what her theory was.

"Okay I have some news of my own." said Lucy, "Earlier, I went to see Professor Layton."

"Al's father, right?" asked Sniffer.

"Yes." said Lucy, "We went down to St Mystere and we discovered a few things."

"Wait, wasn't St Mystere where that scandal with the fortune happened?" asked Florence, curiously.

"How did you know about that?" asked Lucy, puzzled.

"We were the ones in charge of hiding it from the press." said Sniffer, proudly, "Plus, this all happened way before you joined the Yard."

Let me tell you what happened." said Lucy, shutting her eyes tightly.

* * *

"Professor, who is this?" asked Lucy, stepping forward to get a better look at the elderly man.

"This is Bruno." said Layton, "When you first showed me the cog, I knew something was up the minute I saw that symbol."

He pulled the cog out of his pocket and showed it to Bruno.

"That _is_ one of mine." said Bruno with a soft chuckle, "But how did it end up all the way in London?"

"That's a question we are hoping to answer." said Layton.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" asked Lucy, thoroughly confused.

"I'll tell you." said Bruno, "A few years ago, the Baron who lived in the mansion on the other side of the village died and left a will. In this will, he said that he left a treasure and that anyone who found it would have access to his whole estate."

"Wow." said Lucy, "So naturally everyone went wild trying to find it?"

"Precisely." said Bruno, "Now this is where I came in. You know Flora?"

"Aye." said Lucy, "The Professor's adoptive daughter?"

"Yes." said Bruno, "She's the Baron's daughter and only she could tell you where the treasure really was, unless you were smart enough to figure it out yourself. Which Professor Layton did, of course."

"We eventually found the treasure, but we discovered a few things along the way." said Layton, "Care to explain, Bruno?"

"I build things." said Bruno, "Have you noticed anything strange about the villagers here?"

"No, they all seemed perfectly fine to me." said Lucy, curiously, "Why?"

"I made them." said Bruno, proudly, "No flaws, they don't even behave like robots! No stiffness, nothing!"

"Okay." said Lucy, a bit annoyed, "You're not God, you know. And if this is some kind of practical joke-"

"He's telling the truth, Lucy." said Layton, "He built all these robots to keep Flora company after the death of her mother and eventually the Baron."

"But…." stammered Lucy, "They're just like ordinary people."

"Exactly." said Bruno, "Which was the point. The Baron didn't want Flora to be alone, so he had me create these people."

"So wait….what are you saying, exactly?" asked Lucy, a worried expression crossing her face.

"This cog is from my workshop." said Bruno, "Which means that either one of my robots have escaped, or someone must have stolen something from here."

"But you would know if that happened, right?" asked Layton.

"I'm afraid with age comes a great deal of memory loss, Layton." said Bruno, chuckling softly, "But all I have done for the past few years is fix the robots, not create new ones."

"But I haven't seen anyone around London that is from the village." said Layton, thoughtfully.

"Surely you didn't know everyone around here, Professor?" asked Lucy, in awe.

"Luke and I spent a great deal of time here, Lucy." said Layton, looking around, "We met all of the citizens and I daresay there was no one that we didn't meet."

"Did anything happen?" asked Lucy, "I mean to cause a stir in the village?"

"I do remember something that happened one night." said Bruno, squinting in the dim light, "But I honestly can't remember."

Bruno turned around and at that minute, he saw a shattered lamp and a various assortment of his tools on the floor.

"Wha-?" he mumbled, staggering towards them, "Why is this mess on the floor?"

"Bruno?" asked Layton, walking up behind him, "Are you quite alright?"

Bruno looked up and gasped.

It all became clear and he remembered what happened that night.

"S-someone broke in here, Hershel." said Bruno, turning around and gripping Layton's hand, "Someone dressed in a large black coat."

"Did you see their face?" asked Lucy, stepping forward.

"No." said Bruno, "But I know that it was a man. A large man."

"What did he want, Bruno?" asked Layton, his voice demanding as he stepped forward to steady Bruno.

"He said that he needed my help." stammered Bruno, gasping slightly, "He needed to build something."

"A robot, no doubt." mumbled Layton, "Carry on."

"Then he mumbled something about….." stammered Bruno, "Al.."

Layton gasped.

"Alfendi!" exclaimed Lucy, "But…what?"

"He wanted me to make something. And he said he needed it to take Alfendi down." whispered Bruno, his eyes wide with fear, "But I refused, Hershel."

"Then what happened, Bruno?" asked Layton, clutching Bruno so that he wouldn't fall.

"He forced me to drink something, Hershel." said Bruno, his body shaking and trembling, "I can't remember anything else after that, but he was gone when I regained consciousness."

"Professor…." stammered Lucy, "I think that sounds like Jus-"

"Lucy we have to get out of here." stuttered Layton, "Alfendi is in big trouble and we need to find him."

"But Professor-" exclaimed Lucy, twisting her hands together.

" **Now** , Lucy!" said Layton, raising his voice for the first time in years. He had to find his son and the worry was engulfing him by the second, "We have no time to lose!"

* * *

"Oh my gosh." breathed Florence, looking wide-eyed at Lucy, "I can't believe this."

"Now tell me what happened with you." said Lucy, wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Hilda drank some tea which was laced with a mind-control drug." said Sniffer, taking over, "That made her hand the tapes over to Judge Halley."

"Hilda wouldn't have done that unless she was under severe influence." said Florence, finally regaining her mental stability, "So naturally, someone who knew that, slipped her a mickey and had her hand the tapes over."

"Did I tell you guys that she destroyed the final copy of Brainwashing, too?" said Lucy, drawing her legs up to her chest.

"But I thought she agreed to help you find it?" asked Sniffer, confused.

"She did." said Lucy, "I still don't know what is happening. But this is bad."

"Okay." said Florence, "We know that Hilda was given a drug to make her do what the user intended her to do. We know that there is a robot somewhere in our presence, we just don't know who it is. And we know that Al is currently locked up in the Yard."

"Flo…." breathed Lucy, struggling to hold back her tears, "Stop."

"Florence." said Sniffer, loudly, noticing Lucy shaking uncontrollably.

"I just miss Al." said Florence, "He was-"

"Can you STOP?!" shouted Lucy, flinging herself off the sofa and rising to full height above Florence, her body quivering with rage and sadness, "I miss him so much; probably more than you do!"

"Lucy I-" began Florence, looking ashamed.

"No." snarled Lucy, "I've heard enough. I'm going to look for t' Prof myself, even if I die trying."

"No, Lucy!" said Sniffer, panicking, "We need to wait for backup!"

"BACKUP?" shouted Lucy, making Sniffer and Florence jump, "You seriously think that backup is going to help? What use have Scotland Yard been to us right now? Their best detective is missing and they don't give a crap!"

The room was filled with a deathly silence.

"Now if you'll excuse me." said Lucy, bitterly, "I have to look for the person I love."

She picked up her coat and walked out of the door, slamming it shut behind her.


	21. The Secrets Are Revealed (Pt 2)

Lucy stormed through the night, her orange hair being whipped back by the breeze. Rain started to fall in heavy torrents, drenching her from head to foot. Lucy, at first, was extremely aggravated, but this soon turned into complete sadness, as she could no longer stop the fresh tears that were streaming out of her eyes.

"Oh Prof." she sobbed uncontrollably, "What's happened to you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she walked along the road, cars rushing past her, occasionally ripping straight through a puddle which then covered her in slightly muddy water. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked up into the sky, where the rain was still falling. Drops spattered across her pale cheeks as she carried on walking. Suddenly, a car stopped right next to her.

* * *

"Lucy?" said a voice, coming from the lowered car window, "Are you alright?"

Lucy turned to see Hilda.

"By 'eck, Hilda!" said Lucy, startled, "You're out of the hospital!"

"They let me out a few hours ago." said Hilda, smiling, "I'm just using my free hours to get reacquainted with the road."

"Been that long since you drove a car?" mumbled Lucy.

"Sure has." said Hilda, a concerned look spreading across her face, "Get in, Lucy."

"You know, it's…. perfect weather for taking a walk." muttered Lucy, motioning weakly to the sky.

"Get in, Lucy." said Hilda, firmly, "We're going for a drive."

Lucy reluctantly dragged her heels to the other side of the car as she slid into the passenger seat. The sweet aroma of Hilda's perfume hit her nostrils as she sunk back into the car, the heaters blasting at full power.

"Feeling better now?" asked Hilda, a small smile appearing on her face. Lucy did not bother to respond.

"Look." she sighed, "I know what happened when you went to see Professor Layton."

"Who told you?" asked Lucy, immediately turning her head to look at Hilda.

Hilda gave her a knowing look and averted her eyes to the road.

"Of course." mumbled Lucy, "Flo and Sniffer."

"Lucy, you know they only meant the best for you." said Hilda, reassuringly, "Trust me, we all want to find Alfendi as much as you do."

"You all don't seem too worried though." said Lucy, looking back at Hilda.

"It's because Al's got a tight grip on your heart so you don't see normal sadness as normal." said Hilda, with a small smile, "Now I know I'm generally not a romantic person but- "

"No you're right." sighed Lucy, gazing out of the window as the sound of the windscreen wipers hummed back and forth on the wet glass.

They continued down the long winding road for a few more moments in silence before Lucy spoke again.

"Hilda?" she asked, "Was there any place that t' Prof used to go to if he felt like…"

"If he felt like the world was becoming a burden and he wanted to rip everyone's throats out?" finished Hilda, looking over at Lucy and smiling sadly, "Yes there was this one place."

"Where was it?" asked Lucy.

"Somewhere out in the country." said Hilda, "I never actually knew the precise location, but the only ones who knew were Justin and Al himself, of course."

"Do you know what it looked like?" asked Lucy.

"I saw a few pictures of it on files." said Hilda, placing one hand tightly on the steering wheel as she gestured to the screen fixed into the dashboard, "It was somewhere around here, I do remember that."

"What was it like?" asked Lucy, again, pressing Hilda further for more information.

"It seemed so cold." said Hilda, with a slight shudder, "Much like a prison cell. It was a normal house with a basement and several computers around."

"That's weird." said Lucy, slumping back in her chair.

"Oh look!" said Hilda, pulling over to the side of the road, "There it is."

She pointed to a small grey shack in the middle of a wheat field.

"That's it?" stammered Lucy, "Not much of a nice place, eh?"

"I agree." said Hilda, "But only Al or Justin would have the keys to this place. I haven't been inside it."

"Come on then!" said Lucy, scrambling out of the car.

"Lucy-!" shouted Hilda, but Lucy had already got out of the car and was speed-walking through the field towards the shack.

"That girl." muttered Hilda, "Always so reckless and such a daredevil."

Hilda got out of the car and ran towards Lucy. She grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is in there?" said Hilda, panting for breath as she clutched Lucy's arm, "There's all sorts of traps and tricks to unlocking the door; besides, we'd need a key!"

"Not if there's someone already in there, we don't." said Lucy, a steely glint in her eye as she paced towards the house.

"Oh for crying out loud-" breathed Hilda, as she stumbled after Lucy, whose retreating figure had just stopped in front of the door to the grubby shack. It certainly did not look any better in front of her. The walls were grey and made out of worn out stones. The door was closed and there was a sliding puzzle on the door.

"Oh look, Hilda." said Lucy, pointing to the puzzle, "It's a puzzle."

"Hmm." said Hilda, clutching her sides and gasping for breath, "You could have slowed down a bit you know, Lucy. I _was_ just in hospital."

"Aye." said Lucy, looking slightly abashed, "Ee sorry, Hilda."

"Solve it then." said Hilda, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Ah Luke and I used to solve these types of things whenever we got bored." said Lucy, a devious grin appearing on her face, "We'd get in there in no time!"

"Well this is Al we're talking about here." said Hilda, "Surely he wouldn't make it that easy to-"

CLICK!

"Bingo." said Lucy, triumphantly, "Come on, Hilda."

"Lucy." said Hilda, suddenly, "Shouldn't we call for backup?"

"Why would we need backup?" said Lucy as she walked in, "I'm sure there's no one in here."

"Yes but there could be all sorts of dangers down here that we don't know about." said Hilda, cautiously looking around, as she took out a small flashlight from her coat pocket.

"Is this the computer room?" asked Lucy, peering in through the open door.

"Be careful Lucy!" hissed Hilda, as she watched Lucy push open the door. There were several computers perched on several desks around the room, each with it's own different camera it seemed. There were several depicting the streets outside the house, but more oddly, Lucy noticed something off with one of the cameras as she walked closer to the screen.

"H-Hilda?" muttered Lucy, her voice rising in a panic, "I-is th-that Judge Halley?"

She pointed to the screen, her finger shaking, as Hilda walked up behind her.

"Oh my-" gasped Hilda, "But that's Scotland Yard! It's the prison cells. How on earth did that camera get there?"

Suddenly, the vision pathway of the screen changed. It seemed almost as if someone was looking around and their thoughts were being projected onto the screen.

"What is going-?" began Lucy, but a loud bang from the basement echoed through the walls of the shack.

Hilda and Lucy both let out a little shriek and quickly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"We have to see what that was." said Lucy, heading towards the stairs to the basement.

"Lucy!" hissed Hilda, completely terrified now, "We have to go! There could be anything down there!"

"Oh come on Hilda!" said Lucy, an exasperated tone lining her voice, "You saw the video of the Yard just now, this could be anything!"

She headed quietly down the stairs, as Hilda followed her, grabbing at her sleeve to try and make her turn back. It was no use, as Lucy kept advancing down the stairs, tiptoeing so that she would not be heard.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and saw a small door. There was one large TV screen fixated to the wall and this showed the exact footage of the camera they had seen showing the interior of the prison cells back at Scotland Yard.

"Hilda…" whispered Lucy, in pure terror as she pointed to someone in the room, "Who is that?"

There was a figure, seemingly tied to a chair directly in the centre of the room. Their head was bowed down in the direction of the TV screen and their hands were strapped behind their back. Their darkened hair fell in slight messy curls around their face and their legs were tied together. Their breathing seemed to be erratic and unstable, as their slender figure was visibly shaking with every breath they took. Their pale face seemed to be lined with scars and their eyes were shut tightly, as if to block out the terrors of the world around them.

"Oh my gosh, Lucy…" stammered Hilda, her breathing quickening rapidly, "Is that-?"


	22. The Secrets Are Revealed (Pt 3)

Hi guys! Can I first just seriously apologise for the ridiculously late update? I've been really busy recently, so haven't had as much time to update! But please do leave your comments on this new chapter, I'd love to read them! :)

Hope you like it!

AthenaX :)

* * *

Lucy stared straight at the figure in the room. She had no doubt that she knew exactly who it was, as she pressed her face against the glass panel of the door. Hilda stared through the glass, her face growing more ashen by every second that was passing by.

"Hilda, we have to get in there!" hissed Lucy, "Have you got a hair clip?"

"What?" stammered Hilda, reaching up for a clip that was holding back a large turret of her soft, blonde hair, "What are you doing with that hair clip?"

"Picking the lock, what else?" snapped Lucy, "If there's anything that I'm taking away from years of Girl Scout training, it's knowing how to pick a lock with nothing but a hair clip."

She fiddled desperately with the lock and the hair clip until she heard the door click. It creaked open slowly and Lucy rushed in. As she drew closer to the person in the chair, it finally dawned on her that she knew exactly who it was.

Alfendi.

His hair hung loosely in front of his eyes and his face looked weary and bruised with scars. His skin had a light grey complexion as his lips parted, drawing in a shuddering breath as his shoulders heaved up and down.

"P-Prof?" stuttered Lucy, in a hoarse whisper, unable to speak, "W-"

"Lucy?" murmured Alfendi, in disbelief, "No….it c-can't be…."

"Al?" stammered Hilda, placing a slender hand over her mouth, "Is that you?"

Alfendi opened his eyes, which were shut up until this moment in time. He sighed heavily.

"But you were in prison in Scotland Yard!" muttered Hilda, her confused tone laced with anger, "How did you escape down here?!"

"I didn't." said Alfendi, struggling to speak, "C-can one of y-you untie me?"

"Al, tell us what's going on!" said Hilda, demandingly, "Please."

"Just UNTIE ME you mare!" shouted Potty Prof, resurfacing. For once, Lucy was relieved to see him. She quickly took out a penknife from her pocket and cut deftly through the ropes that were binding the Prof's hands and feet together. He stood up, shakily, groaning slightly in pain. Lucy's eyes watered; she hated seeing the Prof in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it.

"Now can you tell us what's been going on?" asked Hilda, crossing her arms over her chest.

Lucy looked at Alfendi; almost like she had seen a ghost. He looked completely different, but he was still his normal self. A wave of frustration and relief rushed over her as she could no longer keep back the tears that had already clouded her widened eyes. Alfendi looked at her, taking in every inch of her. She was still so beautiful to him, her pale face lit from the dim light in the room, even though she looked like she had been to hell and back.

To be quite fair; they both had.

"Er…" said Hilda, sheepishly, "Guys?"

Alfendi suddenly lunged forward, taking Lucy by the waist and pulled her sharply into him. Their bodies collided and Alfendi smashed his lips against Lucy's, one hand on the nape of her neck and the other at her waist. The kiss was deep, passionate as every moment was driven by the couple's desire to be as close to one another as possible. Lucy tightly squeezed her eyes shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly against her body which ached with the pangs of loneliness that she had been suffering from these past few weeks. Lucy let out a slight moan as Alfendi bit her bottom lip gently, yet in a lustful manner. She smiled against his lips as her hands found their way into his curly hair, which had become slightly lighter in colour since he had been in this room.

"I…" whispered Lucy, tears still rolling down her cheeks, "I thought I'd lost you, P-Prof."

"Hey…" whispered Placid, placing both of his hands gently on either side of her face, "It would take a lot more than this to keep me away from you, believe me."

"But I don't understand." murmured Lucy, burying her face in Alfendi's chest, "How did you end up here?"

"I'll answer that in a minute." said Alfendi, placing a finger under her chin and guiding her face up gently to meet his, "But right now, we have to get out of here."

"Wait." said Hilda, "Why?"

"Seriously?" snapped Potty Prof, resurfacing for a moment, "Do you ever stop asking questions, Hilda?"

"Hmph." shrugged Hilda, turning towards the door, stopping dead in her tracks as it creaked open.

"Well." snarled a low voice, "If it isn't my two favourite musketeers."

A large figure emerged from the shadows appearing from the door. His coat was rolled up at the sleeves and he had a nasty smirk stretched across his face.

"Ju-Justin?!" stammered Hilda, taking multiple steps back, "Wh-what's going on?"

"I'll tell you what's going on." snarled Potty Prof, taking a step forward, making sure he had a firm grip on Lucy's hand, "This _pathetic_ excuse for a man kidnapped me and locked me up here."

"I-Is this true, J-Justin?" stammered Hilda, still unable to register what was going on.

"Why would you do this?!" shouted Lucy, "You _sick_ -!"

"Careful, wallflower." growled Justin, menacingly, "I have a gun and I know how to use it."

"Oh try me." snapped Lucy, her eyes ablaze, "Just what exactly were you doing with t' Prof, eh?"

"And how did Al manage to get down here so quickly from Scotland Yard?" asked Hilda, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Justin let out a hearty chuckle.

"Why." he said, mockingly, "You haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?" snapped Hilda, placing her hands in her pockets.

"The other Alfendi you saw running around Scotland Yard wasn't the real one." said Justin, placing his arms on his hips.

"I knew it!" hissed Lucy, in hushed tones.

"It was something I'd asked someone to create for me." said Justin, leaning against the wall.

"You can explain this to the judge." said Hilda, firmly, "We all have to get back to Scotland Yard."

Justin immediately reached for his coat pocket and drew out a large gun.

"You're not going anywhere." he said, twirling the gun between his fingers, "You're going to listen to what I have to say."

"There ain't summat you can say to hide all this, Justin!" said Lucy, her sadness slowly being replaced by utter rage, "So stop trying to dig a hole for yourself!"

"Oh I'll tell you everything, alright." he said, walking forward slowly, "But pay close attention."

* * *

 _I was supposed to be the new head of the Crime Division. The commissioner thought I was the most promising candidate in the whole of the Yard and that I had true potential for solving any case that was thrown my way. That was, until Al came along. The hotshot. The son of the great Professor Layton._

 _Instantly, I got replaced. He was in charge of all the cases and I had to play second fiddle. Do you know how humiliating it was, being replaced by someone younger than me, who was up for a promotion that I had been working almost 6 years for?_

 _That's when I realised that I could drag you into this whole Forebodium mess. All I had to do, was get you involved and you would build up a grudge so deep that you couldn't get out. You had to face Keelan, just to get yourself some self-satisfaction. I thought that would be the end of you, when I framed you and you got stuck behind bars for the rest of your life. But, that all changed when Lucy came along. For some reason, your split personality started to evolve again and the whole truth came out. I got chucked behind bars and you know the rest from there._

 _Now, I wasn't done planning to get my revenge. I got someone to bail me out of jail; that's right, Bruno. I went to him for help, as I wanted him to make something that would tear you down. Initially, I thought I could kidnap Lucy and make her into a robot, but I knew that you would instantly put together what had happened, so what could I do instead? Kidnap you, put a robot in your place and have you watch your whole life come crumbling down before your eyes._

 _You see, I was supposed to get that promotion. Since I went into jail, I lost everything important to me. I lost my job, I lost my fiancé and I lost my dignity. I asked Bruno to build me a robot, a robot that resembled you. Of course, the old fool refused as he knew your father pretty well, so I gave him a drug. Exactly the same drug that I gave you and under that influence, he created a robot that I could control. This robot was the same one that you've been seeing walking around Scotland Yard, taking the bad reputation. Of course, it started to work perfectly as everyone thought it was you, but things were starting to unravel apart._

 _Now, of course, Lucy was the first to suspect that things were going wrong and she picked up that you were not the same. Now I had to get you out of her life before she realised exactly what was going on, so I bumped into Hilda, after making sure that she drank that tea that I placed on the desk of the Mystery Room. Then, I told her to take my copy of Brainwashing, destroy it in Lucy's face so that she would feel she had no other option left of saving Alfendi, and also told her to hand the tapes in of Alfendi threatening me and killing me._

 _Now you've probably figured out that those tapes weren't real. I had Al drink some of the Timoxeline Barbabutenol and I told him exactly what to do; walk towards me, threaten me and shoot me. Now obviously, he shot into the air just above my shoulder just as I had instructed him to do and I fell to the ground, apparently dead. This was enough evidence to keep Al locked up for the rest of his life._

 _Now that you were behind bars, all that you could do was watch your own life deteriorate. I placed you in this room, in front of all these monitors so you could see exactly how your life was being destroyed. How Lucy wouldn't visit you every day, because she thought you didn't want anything to do with her. How everyone in the office looked at you with contempt, knowing that you killed me, so to speak._

 _This was my revenge for 10 years. I finally got my payback._

* * *

Justin stood, looking at the trio as he finished his sadistic tale. Lucy and Hilda were still registering exactly what they had just heard.

"So wait..." stammered Lucy, "All that time I was arguing with the Prof?"

"You were really arguing with Justin." said Alfendi, shuddering, "He was controlling all the speech and movements of the robot."

"I…" stammered Lucy, "But why?"

"He wanted me to watch the tapes as some kind of sick torture." sighed Alfendi, "As if he'd get anything out of it."

"You bastard." said Hilda, a look of pure fury and loathing in her eyes as she glared at Justin, "How I ever trusted you once, I'll never know."

Justin chuckled.

"Oh I have no idea why you always trusted me instead of Al." he said, walking towards Hilda, "Maybe it was because you thought, deep down, that he was a killer."

"He never was…" replied Hilda, her voice shaking as she placed a hand against her mouth, "It was you all along."

"You're not getting away with this." snarled Lucy, stepping protectively in front of Alfendi, "We all work for the Yard, you realise."

"It's not too late to change everything." snarled Justin, reaching rapidly into his pocket.

"GET BACK!" shouted Potty Prof, pushing both Lucy and Hilda with all his strength to the other side of the room. Justin aimed his gun directly at Alfendi, who was frozen to the spot. Alfendi locked eyes with Lucy, tears glazing them.

"NO!" screamed Lucy, sprinting across to the Prof as a gunshot echoed through the room.

A velvet waterfall of blood came streaming out of Lucy's chest cavity as she collapsed onto the floor.

"NO!" screamed Alfendi, rushing down beside her, picking her up and cradling her in his arms, pressing hard on her wound to stop the blood, "No….please!"

Hilda ran forward and wrestled Justin for the gun. She deftly tripped him up and pointed the gun directly at his chest.

"This is the last time you get out alive, asshole." she snarled, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Hilda." said Justin, calmly, looking her in the eyes, "Surely you wouldn't shoot an old friend?"

"Try me." she muttered, pulling the trigger. Justin's eyes shut slowly, as a large pool of blood streamed out from underneath his body.

Hilda ran over to Alfendi, who was clutching Lucy directly against his chest as she hyperventilated, her eyes opening and closing slowly.

"No…no…" sobbed Alfendi, tears rolling rapidly down his pale cheeks, "Don't leave me, Lucy."

Hilda reached rapidly for the phone in the room and dialed the number to emergency services and then to Scotland Yard.

"Lucy…" whimpered Alfendi, cradling her gently in his arms, his skin now soaked with her crimson blood, "D-Don't leave m-me…"

Lucy drifted in and out of consciousness, and the last thing she remembered was feeling Alfendi's lips against her forehead, as she blacked out into complete darkness.


	23. Hospitals and Revelations

Lucy's eyes snapped open as she heard the beeping of a heart monitor next to her. She glanced over and studied the room carefully. She realised that she was in a hospital, as she looked down at her blue gown in slight distaste. Several taps were inserted into her arms and her whole chestal area was bandaged as a pillow supported her upper back. She reached for the half full glass of water beside her bed and tilted the cold glass against her lips, feeling the chilled water rush down her throat. She coughed slightly and gasped, for her chest erupted in vast amounts of pain. However, there was only one person on her mind right now and she needed to see him more than ever.

Alfendi.

She struggled to pull herself out of bed, and grasping the cold metal on which hung a bag of blood, she slowly padded out of the room, the floor cooling down her burning feet. She had just about got out of the door, when suddenly, she felt extremely dizzy and grasped the door handle for support, intaking a sharp breath. She looked up, her vision blurry and she saw a figure rushing directly towards her from the other end of the corridor. He was limping slightly as he ran.

"Lucy!" he gasped, his hair darkening as he reached her, "You're not supposed to be out of bed!"

He picked her up gently in his arms and placed her into her bed, drawing up the covers around her. He stared at her, tears in his eyes.

"Prof?" whispered Lucy, hoarsely, placing a warm hand against his cheek, "Is everything alright?"

He nodded and kissed her hand gently.

"Stay with me, Prof." she murmured, tugging on his hand like a small child.

"Of course." he said, immediately slipping underneath the covers, resting his head on the pillow next to her as she curled up against his chest. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair, his lips brushing the top of her head as he did so. He noticed how much weight she had lost and it filled him with immense guilt and pain to see her like this. She had taken a bullet for him and she had almost died. That was something he would never be able to forgive himself for.

"Prof…" she murmured, sounding finally at peace as she cuddled up against him, "You're not supposed to be in here."

"I'm with you." he said, continuing to stroke her hair, smiling, "Plus, you've got such a tight grip on me, I don't think I'm able to get out."

"But the doctors would notice that you've gone." she whispered, failing to hide the smile that was forming on her lips.

"Well there's nothing that a pillow under a blanket can't solve." said Alfendi, a cheeky grin appearing on his face as Lucy looked up at him.

A moment of fleeting silence passed between them.

"I love you so much, Lucy." he whispered, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I love you too, Prof." she whispered, almost rendered breathless by his intense gaze.

He leaned down, kissing her directly on the lips, one hand directly on her waist and the other against her cheek. She leaned further into him, placing her hands on either side of his face as she kissed him with a deeper passion. He smiled against her as she tugged at the top buttons on his shirt.

"Prof…" she murmured, her lips still against his, "I need you."

Alfendi sighed.

"If you knew how badly I needed you right now…" Potty Prof said with a slight growl in his voice, "But I can't do this to you. Not like this."

"Prof…" she whispered, breathless, "P-Please…"

"Lucy you're too weak." said Alfendi, pulling away and looking her directly in the eyes, his lips inches away from her, "I need you to get better more than anything else in the world."

Lucy huffed slightly and slumped back against the Prof's chest as he laughed at her expression. She looked exactly like a child who had just been denied candy. They continued to make small talk, for the most part, just enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Hilda walked into the hospital and walked straight up to the receptionist, her blue coat billowing out behind her.

"Hi." she said, smiling, "Could you possibly tell me which rooms Alfendi Layton and Lucy Baker are in, please?"

"Ah one moment." said the receptionist, typing away rapidly, "She's in room 15C and he's in room 15A."

"Thank you." said Hilda, heading down the corridor to the ward marked '15'. She opened the double doors, the warm breeze hitting her full in the face. The smell of alcohol disinfectant caused her eyes to sting slightly as she walked down the corridor. Peering into room 15C, she could see that Lucy and Alfendi were lying awake, talking and laughing together, arms draped around one another. She smiled, thinking it would be best to come back later, so she turned around and walked back down the corridor.

* * *

Lunchtime had just come around, and Alfendi and Lucy were back in their separate rooms. Lucy was shovelling the hot roast beef and carrots into her mouth, grateful for how delicious it was, given that it was hospital food.

"Careful, dear." said the nurse, laughing at her, "Don't eat too quickly or you'll get hiccups!"

"I don't want that." said Lucy, immediately slowing down, remembering her chest pain, "I'll go slower Nurse, I promise!"

Alfendi, on the other hand, was waiting for his father to come and visit him. Sure enough, ten minutes later, Layton appeared in the doorway.

"My boy." he whispered, holding back the tears as he embraced Alfendi in a large hug, "I am so sorry that all of this happened to you."

"It could have been much worse, Father." said Alfendi, leaning back against his pillows, "Lucy has much more severe injuries than I do."

"How is she?" asked Layton, placing a freshly bought sandwich on the table for Alfendi to eat.

"She's doing alright." said Alfendi, unwrapping the sandwich, "But she took a bullet for me…I feel so guilty."

"She only did that to protect you." said Layton, smiling at Alfendi as he took a large bite of the sandwich, "You know that."

"I'm responsible for all her pain." said Alfendi, his eyes watering.

"Don't ever say that, Alfendi." said Layton, leaning back in his chair and looking at his son, firmly, "She loves you and you love her back."

"More than anything in the world." said Alfendi, nodding.

"Which reminds me." said Layton, reaching into his pocket, "I wanted to give you this."

He brought out a black box from his pocket and handed it to Alfendi. Alfendi looked at the box curiously and placed his sandwich back in the plastic wrappings.

"Is this what I think it is?" asked Alfendi, opening the box. Inside was a beautiful sapphire cut diamond, embedded into a silver ring. It sparkled and gleamed in the light.

"It's absolutely beautiful, Father." said Alfendi, "But who-?"

"It belonged to your mother." said Layton, as his eyes filled up with tears as he remembered the accident that had killed her.

"It's alright, Papa." said Alfendi, leaning forward and patting his hands, "But why are you giving this to me?"

"Since I have no intention of getting married ever again," said Layton, "This is now yours until you find the girl of your-"

"Father." said Alfendi, interrupting him with a determined look in his eyes, "I want to marry Lucy."


	24. More Visitations

Hi guys; SO sorry for this late update, been really really really really busy for these past few weeks, so haven't had much time to update!

Do please leave comments; as usual I'd love to read them!

AthenaX :) x

* * *

Layton smiled at his son as he looked at his earnest face beaming in the light from the room.

"I want to marry her, Papa." he repeated.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." said Layton, smiling, "I know you love her so much."

"I don't just love her, Father." said Alfendi, "She keeps me sane and I need her in my life. She makes me happy and she's one of the many reasons I get up in the morning. I just can never express how much she means to me, as I've never been good at that sort of thing."

"So how do you plan on asking her?" asked Layton, crossing one leg over the other in his chair.

"I need your help with that." said Alfendi, sitting up in his bed as he gazed intently at he ring that was sitting in the palm of her hand.

"Well," said Layton, thinking, "Why don't you do something similar to what you did when you told her you loved her?"

"That's too obvious." said Alfendi, shaking his head, "She would catch on, she's quick witted like that."

He smiled fondly at the thought and chuckled to himself.

"But what if you made it a proper case?" asked Layton, "Get the suspects in on it."

"Dad I have to think of something else." said Alfendi, furrowing his eyebrows, "She'll know wh-"

"ALFENDI!" screeched a voice from the doorway, "Oh my gosh!"

A young woman rushed through the door and leaped onto the bed, crushing her brother in her tight, vice-like grip.

"Oof." grunted Alfendi, as Katrielle knocked all the air out of him and began to squeeze him tightly, "K-Kat…"

"Where the hell have you been?!" she demanded, her eyes sparkling with tears, "We were all so worried about you!"

"C-Can't b-breathe…." stuttered Alfendi, patting Katrielle on the shoulder as she pulled away from him, a steely look in her eyes.

"I can't believe this happened to you." she mumbled, sitting down on the bed next to Alfendi, "If only I had driven you home, none of this would have happened."

Alfendi reached over and grasped her hand in his.

"None of this was your fault, Kat." he said, looking her straight in the eyes, "None of it. Don't you dare blame yourself."

She nodded and blinked back her tears.

"I love you, bro." said Katrielle, tucking a loose strand of hair back from Alfendi's face.

"I love you too, Kat." said Alfendi, smiling at her.

"Now where is this Lucy you've been telling me so much about, eh?" she asked, grinning, a cheeky expression flashing across her face.

"She's currently resting." said Alfendi, a sad expression flashing across her face.

"What happened?" asked Katrielle, placing a hand on his.

"She….er…" stammered Alfendi, trying to hold back his tears.

"She got shot in the chest." said Layton, quietly, "The nurses have put her in a coma so ensuring so makes a full recovery."

"She got shot instead of me, Kat." said Alfendi, his hair darkening, "I should have got hit, but instead, she jumped in front of me and saved my life."

"Wow…" said Katrielle, tears forming in her eyes, "She is one special girl. I have to meet her when she wakes up."

"I'm thinking about proposing to her." said Alfendi, looking at his sister, carefully gauging her reaction.

"WHAT?!" screeched Katrielle, her cheeks ablaze and eyes wide, "That's wonderful, Al!"

An elderly man plodding by using a walking stick for support, peered into the room from which Katrielle's screech was heard. He looked in, disapprovingly and carried on walking down the corridor.

"I can't wait to be out of here." muttered Alfendi, "Honestly, the looks you get from some people."

"What happened to the guy who kidnapped you?" asked Katrielle, nervously.

Alfendi let out a deep, shuddering sigh.

"He's dead." he said, looking down at his hands.

"How did he die?" asked Layton.

"Got shot through the neck by Hilda." said Alfendi, rubbing his face tightly with his hands, "Blood was everywhere, she severed his jugular veins as well as his carotids; he was dead within seconds."

"Quickest way to kill someone." murmured Katrielle, darkly, "At least he can't hurt anyone again."

"He deserved it anyway." spat Potty Prof, surfacing.

"That he did." said a female voice from the doorway. Layton, Katrielle and Alfendi all looked up at the door to see Hilda, her face still slightly pale as she gazed at Alfendi intently.

"Are you alright, Al?" asked Hilda, nervously, as she walked towards his bed.

"Never better." mumbled Alfendi, slumping back against his pillows and looking up at her, "You?"

"I was going to visit you and Lucy the other day." said Hilda, smiling slightly, "But you were both sitting in her room, talking, and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh you were spying on us, were you?" snapped Potty Prof, his hair darkening.

Hilda took a step back from the bed, her expression slightly hurt.

"Sorry, Hilda." said Alfendi, "I'm still recovering from this just as much as you are."

"I know, Al." said Hilda, "Don't apologise. Professor Layton, Katrielle, lovely to see you both again."

"You too, Miss Pertinax." said Layton, standing up to offer her the chair he was sitting on. She sat down and buried her face in her hands.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hilda?" asked Katrielle, staring straight at her.

Hilda sighed.

"I still can't believe I shot him." said Hilda.

"You do realise it was either him or all of us." said Alfendi, looking over at her, curiously, "Why do you feel so bad?"

"Because…" stammered Hilda, her cheeks colouring over slightly.

"No…" murmured Katrielle, her eyes flaring up, "You liked him?!"

Hilda looked up, her eyes glazed with tears.

"But-!" stammered Katrielle, before Alfendi cut smoothly over her.

"Let her be, Kat." said Alfendi, inhaling deeply, "Lucy fell in love with me and look at how tortured and messed up I am."

"You're not-" began Katrielle, indignantly.

"I am." he said, "And Justin was like me in many aspects. Hence why only we knew about that place and no one else."

Alfendi looked over at Hilda, an understanding expression on his face.

"I understand, Hilda." said Alfendi, "I know it's hard. Justin was a friend, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of me."

"You're saying you forgive him?" asked Layton, curiously, "After everything he had done to you?"

Alfendi nodded.

"I do." he said, decisively, "But I'm not sure if my other half does."

"I most certainly do not." growled Potty Prof, "Although I do wonder if Lucy would forgive him."

"Hello?!" said Katrielle, standing up suddenly, "The man's dead, isn't he? There's no point in doing anything, he's not going to hear it!"

There was an awkward silence that filled the room.

"It would give us all peace of mind, Kat." said Hilda, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her small ear, "We need to move on and for that, we need to forgive him, whatever he was going through."

Katrielle nodded and sat back down on the bed next to Alfendi.

"Hilda." said Alfendi, thinking back to Lucy and rapidly changing the subject, "I need your help with something."

"What is it, Al?" asked Hilda, leaning back in the chair and crossing her legs, as she noticed a blush creeping onto Alfendi's cheeks.

"I'm thinking of proposing to Lucy." said Alfendi, smiling.

"That's amazing!" said Hilda, smiling broadly for the first time in what seemed like weeks, "How are you planning on popping the question then?"

"That's what I need your help with." said Alfendi, "I've never been good at this sort of thing."

"But you planned the majority of that 'date' night, didn't you?" asked Hilda, smiling, "If you can pull that off, you most certainly can pull this off."

"But case studies are all I've got." said Alfendi, hopelessly, "What else could I do?"

"Sometimes simplicity is the best option." said Hilda.

"Al!" said Katrielle, punching him on his injured shoulder, causing him to wince in pain, "You never told _me_ about this date night!"


	25. Asking The Right Questions

Okay, can I first apologise for this ridiculously late update? Thank you all ever so much for being so patient with me here; I really appreciate it! Once again, do leave reviews / comments as I love reading them as always!

Hope you like it! Not long to go now until the big question! :D

AthenaX :)

* * *

It was now around two weeks later and both Alfendi and Lucy were lying next to each other on their bed, dressed in their pyjamas, as they chatted about the events of the past few weeks, their fingers intertwined with one another.

"It's been a pretty eventful few weeks, hasn't it?" asked Alfendi, grinning as he shifted to face Lucy, looking directly into her brilliant blue eyes.

"Oh you can say that again, Prof!" laughed Lucy, her cheeks flushing slightly with Alfendi's intense gaze, "So what are we going to do today?"

"I have no idea." said Alfendi, his insides fluttering, making him feel queasy. What he was planning in his mind, he was grateful that she had no idea about, "What would you like to do?"

"Oh whatever you want to do, Prof." said Lucy, placing her head on his chest and sighing contently, "I'm happy just to stay here for eternity."

"You mean that?" asked Alfendi, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course, Prof." she mumbled, burying her face into the crook of his neck, "Wouldn't you?"

"If there was anything more than eternity," he said, placing his arms around her, "I'd say yes to it in a heartbeat."

He felt her smile against him as he held her close to his body.

"How is Hilda?" asked Lucy, opening her eyes to look up at Alfendi, who was still gazing fondly down at her, "I haven't seen her in a million years."

"Lucy." said Alfendi, biting his lip to conceal his amusement, "You saw her yesterday."

"But that seems so long ago." groaned Lucy, as she slipped her arms around Alfendi's neck, "And I'm so bored with no work to do."

"I know what you mean." sighed Alfendi, "The house isn't exactly the same as the Mystery Room."

"Hilda's been solving our cases for us, along with Florence and Sniffer's help." said Alfendi, reaching for the telephone on his bedside desk, "Do you want to talk to them?"

"Maybe later." said Lucy, grinning mischievously, "I have you all to myself right now, though."

"And what are you planning to do with me, Baker?" chuckled Alfendi, a hint of Potty Prof flashing seductively across his face as he stared at her.

"I…." whispered Lucy, rendered breathless by his penetrating stare.

Alfendi leaned down, took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, his lips increasing in pressure against hers. She responded and kissed him harder, her fingers trailing to undo the top button on his crisp, white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves. He had one hand tangled in her vibrant, orange hair and another at her waist, as he deepened the kiss.

"Gosh, how much I've missed you, Lucy." he mumbled, his lips still against hers, "Do you have any idea how insane I went, down in that dungeon?"

Lucy remained silent and bit her lip cautiously.

"I can't believe I fell for this…. lie!" snapped Potty Prof, as he rested his forehead forcefully, yet gently against Lucy's in apparent annoyance.

"Justin always lied, Prof." said Lucy, running a hand gently through his hair, unfazed by his rapid personality changes, "That was the only thing he was good at."

"I have to hand it to him, the bastard." sighed Potty Prof, his hair changing slowly back to its normal shade, "But I didn't think he would go that far."

"I don't think anyone did, Prof." said Lucy, shutting her eyes, "But what puzzled me, was that Hilda admitted she loved Justin."

"It didn't really surprise me." said Alfendi, thoughtfully, "She used to be in love with my old personality and in many ways, the old me was as sadistic as Justin was, right up until the day he died."

Lucy shook her head.

"But I don't understand." she said, resting her head against Alfendi's chest again, "After everything he's done-"

"Look at you and I." said Alfendi, cutting gently across her, "Why do you love me? I'm just as messed up as Justin; perhaps even more-."

"You're not." said Lucy, indignantly, "You're nothing like Justin, Prof."

"Sometimes I wonder how I ever ended up with an amazing girl like you." said Alfendi, smiling, "You accept me for who I am and you never question me. You've believed in me since day one, even when everyone else thought I was a murderer and a psychopath."

"You're neither of those things." said Lucy, kissing him gently on the cheek, "You're a kind, loving and gentle man and you're always there for me and everyone else at t' Yard. Not to mention the fact that you're one hell of a boyfriend."

Alfendi grinned.

"Even though I am a bit crazy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

"We all are, aren't we, Alfendi?" she said, smiling as she leaned in to kiss him again. Alfendi's stomach erupted with butterflies; this was one of the rare times that she'd actually called him Alfendi and not Prof and it filled him with the most beautiful feeling of longing and desire. He kissed her once more, feeling a small box bulging in his back pocket, slightly worried at the thought of what he was planning to do later.

* * *

"Hilda." said Alfendi, sharply over the telephone.

"Jeez Al." said Hilda in an exasperated tone, "Would you _stop_ with the phone calls? You've called me about four times already today!"

"Hilda….I…." stammered Alfendi, tripping over his words in frustration.

"I've got this under control, Al." said Hilda, firmly, "I set everything up just like you asked me to, but I need you to come and stick the final touches on everything."

"But Lucy's-"

"Got that covered already." said Hilda, suppressing a chuckle, "You see, Florence and Sniffer wanted in on a bit of the action, so they're working on a case to give to Lucy so she'll get distracted for a bit."

"But isn't that too obvious?" said Alfendi, worriedly, "I mean she's going to catch on-"

"Well they're not making it too obvious this time." said Hilda, "In fact, seeing as you're coming back to the office, they're making it look like a real case that you have to solve as part of your normal work-a-day life."

"And since solving cases is the only thing that's been on Lucy's mind ever since we got out of the hospital," said Alfendi, in agreement, "She'd hopefully go with it."

"Exactly." said Hilda, "So trust me when I say we have this covered."

"Thanks Hilda." mumbled Alfendi, trying not to lose his cool over the phone, "I owe you."

"Now no more phone calls until you get here, understood?" said Hilda.

"But I'm only 5 minutes away on the bus." said Alfendi, his voice laced with confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You've called me once already on this bus journey." said Hilda, laughing, "Now hold on until you get to Scotland Yard, or Lucy's going to think something is wrong with you!"

"She's upfront talking to the bus driver as usual." said Alfendi, looking up at his girlfriend who was chatting away to the bus-driver, her face shining.

"Well aren't you lucky." said Hilda, sarcastically, "Now get yourselves over here and I'll set Lucy up with Flo and Sniffer whilst you and I go through the plans for tonight."

"Fine." said Alfendi, battling not to let Potty take over, "See you."

He put the phone down just as Lucy came over.

"Ah sorry about that Prof." said Lucy, flopping down on the seat next to him, "Ernie is just wondering how to pop the question to his girlfriend in a few days!"

"Really?" asked Alfendi, trying to suppress a smile, "How is he planning to do it?"

"Oh that's what he was asking me about." said Lucy, grinning as she looped her arm into Alfendi's, "I said to him that a beautiful rooftop proposal would be the right way to get to my heart for sure!"

Alfendi chuckled to himself. He was proud of the thought that he'd got the proposal idea right.

"Who were you talking to on the phone, Prof?" asked Lucy, looking at him.

"My father." said Alfendi, trying to remain calm whilst his face flushed red with the telltale signs of embarrassment.

"Oh eh up, Prof." giggled Lucy, "Why are ya' so embarrassed by that?"

Alfendi looked into Lucy's eyes and his heartbeat started to race once more.

"He….er.." stammered Alfendi, "He was talking to me about one of his graduate students who had heard about me and wouldn't stop asking to meet me."

"Haha!" laughed Lucy, her laughter echoing around the bus, "What's the name of this lass?"

Alfendi panicked and stared directly out of the window for inspiration. He saw the sign for the Metropolitan Police Station located a few metres away.

"P…Polly?" he said, his voice faltering as he looked at her.

"Sweet name." grinned Lucy, "Although you'd better not go runnin' off after her, Prof or I'll chase you for the rest of your life!"

"There's no way I'd go after another girl." said Alfendi, taking Lucy's hands in his, smiling earnestly, "I've got you."

Lucy blushed and rested her head against Alfendi's shoulder.

"I love you so much Lucy." murmured Alfendi, kissing the top of her head gently.

"I love you too Prof." she said, shutting her eyes as a small smile crept onto her face.

"Hope you still do later." he thought, worriedly.

* * *

Alfendi and Lucy walked into Scotland Yard and were both immediately greeted by Sniffer, who pelted up to them at full speed.

"Lucy." said Sniffer, "We've got a case for you."

"Just me?" asked Lucy, puzzled, "But what about the Prof?"

"Don't worry about me, Lucy." said Alfendi, smiling at her, "I have some work to take care of too."

He spotted Hilda walking up the stairs to the roof and exchanged a quick look with her. She nodded slightly and carried on walking.

"Are you sure?" asked Lucy, holding onto Alfendi's hand tightly.

He gave her a warm smile and kissed her gently on the forehead, before pulling away, slowly.

"Yes Lucy." he said, "Go on. Get to work, you've missed this."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in tightly for a hug before kissing him on the cheek and walking away with Sniffer. Alfendi walked away to the stairs to join Hilda and turned to look back at Lucy. She smiled and waved, as she disappeared into one of the lab rooms. Hilda placed a reassuring hand on Alfendi's shoulder as he stared at Lucy's retreating figure.

"It's going to be okay, Alfendi." she said, smiling, "Trust me."


	26. Will You Marry Me?

Okay, firstly I need to apologise so badly for this ridiculously late update, but I've been extremely busy. So, to thank you all for your patience, I've written this chapter a bit longer than I usually write. Again, I'm so sorry, but I suspect that this is the finale that you've all been waiting for!

I do hope you enjoy it and once again, do leave reviews; I'd love to hear what you think!

AthenaX :)

* * *

Alfendi and Hilda walked up to the rooftop together and Alfendi opened the door.

"Holy…" he breathed, "Hilda, this is amazing!"

"Thanks." she said, grinning as they both took in the glory of the rooftop.

"It's perfect, honestly." said Alfendi, "Now all we need to do is make sure that I don't mess this up."

"You're not going to mess it up, Al." said Hilda, sounding slightly miffed, "I'm sure Lucy would jump at the chance to marry you. Anyone would."

Alfendi's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" he asked, his expression darkening slightly.

"Just that you're a loving, caring person, Al." mumbled Hilda, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before."

"Don't worry about it Hilda." said Alfendi, his expression softening as he realised what she was talking about.

"I hope I get picked as the maid of honour though." said Hilda, grinning.

"I'm sure Lucy will pick you." said Alfendi, smiling as he walked towards the door, "Bearing in mind that you're the only woman with the sort of temperament to keep everyone sane on the day."

"Thanks." said Hilda, wryly, not catching on to what he said.

A light breeze passed over the rooftop.

"Wow." said Alfendi, chuckling as he opened the door to the roof.

"Wait, what?" said Hilda, finally realising that it wasn't a compliment, as she rushed after Alfendi, "What the hell, Al?!"

* * *

As Hilda and Alfendi walked down the corridor to Florence and Sniffer's office, Alfendi made a small noise.

"Al?" asked Hilda, holding out her arm and stopping him, "What's wrong?"

"It's just that, Sniffer and Florence worked so hard on that case," said Alfendi, worriedly, "And now I have to tell them that it's not a good idea."

"Well, to be fair," began Hilda, "Lucy would probably catch on pretty quickly, as it wouldn't be like any normal case."

Alfendi remained silent

"You remember the last case we you up, Al." said Hilda, "Even though I had no idea about the way you were planning to ask Lucy out, even I knew there was something wrong with that case."

"Hmph." grunted Alfendi, "But at any rate, we have to tell Florence and Sniffer that we have to scrap it."

"Fine." said Hilda, gesturing to the door with her hand, "Go on then."

"Me first?" asked Alfendi, slightly bemused.

"Well I'm as sure as hell not breaking the news to them." said Hilda, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine." said Alfendi, pushing open the door and squinting as the bright lights hit his eyes.

"The man of the hour!" exclaimed Sniffer, bounding out of his chair, "The case has been completed, Al!"

"Er…" mumbled Alfendi, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, as he turned to look at Hilda. She looked back at him, an amused smile crossing her lips.

"What is it, Al?" asked Florence, "You need us to make some changes-ACHOO!"

"Not changes as such…" said Alfendi, slowly dragging the syllables in his voice, "I need you to scrap the whole thing."

"And start again?" asked Sniffer, his eyes widening underneath his large spectacles, "Have you gone completely mad?"

"No." sighed Alfendi, "It's just that Lucy would catch on so quickly, and I've already been really distant with her already."

"And you don't want her to catch on the minute she looks at this case." said Florence, stifling yet another sneeze, "I get it."

"Wait a second," said Sniffer, throwing up his hands into the air, "You want us to scrap all of our hard work because you decided that Lucy is smart enough to see through this case?!"

"I'm sorry, alright?!" yelled Alfendi, his hair and expression darkening, "But she is smart enough and you know that!"

"Oh come on!" whined Sniffer, "She didn't even see through the last one!"

"That's because we've never done that before." said Florence, trying to knock some sense into Sniffer, who was now pacing up and down the lab in a heated rage.

"Ugh, fine." grumbled Sniffer, "But this would have been romantic for sure."

"What makes a proposal romantic is the guy who's actually doing it." said Alfendi, looking around at everyone, "If I ask you guys to plan this for me, then what kind of a boyfriend am I to Lucy?"

Florence and Hilda looked surprised, whilst Sniffer stared at the floor, abashed.

"I just want it to be me and her." said Alfendi, "No gimmicks, no fancy cases, just me, her and my emotions."

"Jeez, Al." said Florence, tearing up slightly, "I never knew you could be this romantic."

"Oh give over." said Sniffer, grinning, "We knew he was capable of love."

Alfendi shot Sniffer a death look, before his expression mellowed.

"I need to know if she'll accept me for being myself," continued Alfendi, looking out of the window, "Not that she's in love with something that would increase her feelings for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with this girl."

"I had no idea you were concerned about that." murmured Hilda, "You really do love her, don't you?"

Alfendi nodded.

"Yes." he mumbled, "And I hope that she feels the same way."

* * *

It was around seven-thirty that evening and Lucy was sitting Alfendi's chair, her legs dangling over the arm as she flicked absent-mindedly through the newspaper that Alfendi had bought earlier.

"Eh." she mumbled, "Another robbery? Yikes."

Alfendi opened the door to the Mystery Room and walked in, slightly surprised to see that the lights were all off, except the one on his desk.

"Lucy, are you okay?" asked Alfendi.

Lucy rapidly got up out of the chair, walked towards Alfendi and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm fine now." she mumbled, her arms tightly wrapping around the Prof.

Alfendi chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, his lips against her forehead.

She nodded.

"Where were you today, Prof?" asked Lucy, averting her face to look up at him, her eyes shining in the darkness of the room.

"I had some things to take care of, Lucy." he said, stroking her cheek with his fingertips, "Speaking of which, let's go."

"Where are we going, Prof?" asked Lucy, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Follow me, Lucy." said Alfendi, taking her hand gently in his, "I've made a dinner reservation at Antonio's for 8."

"Ooh fancy!" squealed Lucy, giggling as she linked her arms into Alfendi's, "What's the occasion?"

"You'll find out later." said Alfendi, kissing her gently on the forehead.

They both walked down the corridor and through the double doors into the cool night. They reached the restaurant and went to sit down at a table in the corner. Alfendi shook his head as they sat down, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. He dug his hand into his pocket, just to check that the ring was still there. The waiter came over, holding two menus and he handed one each to both Alfendi and Lucy.

"I'll be back in a few moments to take your order," he said, smiling, "Enjoy!"

"Prof?" asked Lucy, looking at him with a concerned expression on her face, "Is everything alright? You've been awful quiet tonight."

"I'm alright Lucy." said Alfendi, running a hand through his hair, "How was your day with Sniffer and Florence?"

"Oh it were great." said Lucy, her expression changing as her face lit up in happiness, "We got loads of cases to have a look at today."

Alfendi smiled at her as she chattered on about her day. Hearing her speak about her day was one of the many highlights of his day. He gazed into her eyes as she talked on and Lucy stopped talking, noticing that he was drifting off.

"Prof?" she mumbled, reaching over the table to take his hand in hers, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Alfendi nodded rapidly.

"Sorry Lucy, I'm fine." he said, his fingers twirling around hers, as he tried not to break into a sweat, "I'm just really hungry."

"Oh I bet." she said, smiling, "You haven't eaten anything since this morning, Prof!"

"Y-You noticed?" he stammered, blushing slightly.

"Of course I did, Prof!" she said, looking at him earnestly, "Plus, I heard your stomach rumble on the way here and that only happens when you're nervous or hungry!"

"Nothing ever gets past her." thought Alfendi to himself, "Thank heavens that I didn't go through with giving her that case."

"But I suspect as you aren't nervous, you're most likely hungry, right?" said Lucy, laughing, her cap falling slightly askew on her head.

"Of course." said Alfendi, smiling, "There's nothing better than having my favourite meal at my favourite restaurant with my favourite girl."

"Aw, Prof!" giggled Lucy, blushing furiously, "You really know how to treat a girl right!"

"Well you're the only girl for me." said Alfendi, smiling warmly at her as the waiter came over.

"And what will you be having tonight?" he asked, pen and notepad in hand.

"I'll have the lasagna please." said Lucy, hiding behind her menu to conceal her bright red face, "Thank you."

"The same for me please, sir." said Alfendi, handing back his menu, "Thank you."

Lucy quickly handed her menu to the waiter and then placed her hands on her cheeks. She could feel the heat radiating from her face, onto her slightly cold hands.

* * *

After dinner, Alfendi and Lucy walked slowly back to the Mystery Room. It was now nearing ten o clock at night and Lucy huddled next to Alfendi, who had already taken the liberty of wrapping his jacket around her slender shoulders, holding her close.

"Heck, it's cold, eh, Prof?" she mumbled, slipping her arms around his waist as they walked together.

"Just a little bit." said Alfendi as they walked down the corridor to the Mystery Room. Alfendi opened the door to the room and let Lucy in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Florence, Sniffer and Hilda peering at him through a crack in the door of a nearby office. His expression darkened as he quickly motioned for them to disappear.

"Prof?"

He heard Lucy's voice coming from the inside of the room and walked in quickly.

"Did you drop something?" she asked, looking at him carefully.

"Yes." said Alfendi, far too quickly, "Just the keys."

"They're still in the door, Prof." said Lucy, looking amused, "Are you honestly sure that everything is alright?"

Alfendi walked over to her and took her hands in his. He leaned down until his forehead was touching hers and let out a small sigh. Lucy placed both her arms around his neck and looked up at him.

"What is it, Prof?" she asked, her eyes filled with compassion.

"L-Lucy." he whispered, "There's something that I've been meaning to ask you for a very long time."

"What is it?" she asked, slightly worried.

"Come with me." he whispered, taking her hand and leading her out of the Mystery Room.

* * *

Lucy appeared bewildered as Alfendi led her down the darkening corridor and into the lift. He pressed the button to the roof. She held his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and he looked down at her, smiling, his eyes glazed with tears.

"Prof?' she whispered, "Be honest, what are we really doing up here?"

"Come on, Lucy." he said, leading her out of the elevator to the door. Lucy pushed open the door to the roof and she was greeted by the most wonderful sight of roses and lights that were laid in a beautiful arrangement around the roof.

"P-Prof," she stammered, breathless, "Wh-what is all this?"

She turned around and saw that Alfendi had now dropped to one knee in front of her. In his hand, he held a small, black, velvet box which had the most gorgeous, glistening ring in it. Alfendi's eyes were wide and filled with tears as he looked up at Lucy, a smile passing across his lips.

"P-Prof…" Lucy whispered, "I…"

"Lucy Baker." began Alfendi, "Ever since the first day you stepped inside the Mystery Room and accused me of being the culprit of causing all the mess in there, I couldn't help but notice how special you were. Your laugh, your smile and your beautiful personality, were what drew me to you in an instant. No matter how hard I tried, I could never keep myself away from you. You always saw the best in me, even when everybody else thought that I was a freak of nature. I've loved you ever since I met you."

Lucy's eyes were widening by the minute and her heart was pulsating rapidly.

"I love you so much Lucy." whispered Alfendi, "I want you to share the rest of my life with me. Will you marry me, Lucy?"

Lucy's eyes filled with tears and they began to spill down her cheeks. She stared at the man in front of her, the absolute love of her life. Alfendi stared at her, shaking slightly as he awaited her response. Lucy knew exactly what to say in this moment in time and nothing else mattered to her right now.

"Yes." she whispered, "Yes, I will marry you Alfendi Layton."

* * *

Florence, Sniffer and Hilda were all crouched around a computer screen in the security office.

"Well, looks like Al got the response he wanted." grinned Hilda.

"Aren't we bad friends for spying on them like this?" laughed Florence, holding in another sneeze.

"No." giggled Sniffer, "This is our job, so that's our reason."

"At least we can't hear them, so it's not a total invasion of their privacy." said Hilda, smiling as she reached to turn off the monitor.

"I'm so glad that they found each other in this crazy world." said Sniffer.

"That's the most pretentious thing you've ever said, Sniffer." scoffed Florence, "What exactly have you been reading now?"

"He's probably had his head stuck in the depths of a romance novel, that's what!" laughed Hilda.

"I have not!" burst out Sniffer, indignantly, "I got caught up trying to figure out how love works…."

"By using that maths book?" grinned Florence, "Oh pur-lease."

"What maths book is this?" asked Hilda, curiously.

"No, no, no…." said Sniffer, turning to Florence and pleading her not to tell Hilda.

"It's called the _Mathematics of Love."_ said Florence, trying and failing to contain her laughter.

Hilda let out a loud screech of laughter.

"Oh my dear Sniffer," she giggled, wiping away tears of mirth, "We really need to get you a girlfriend!"


	27. A Beautiful Ending

_Hello readers! Consider this my cheesy Christmas gift to you all who are reading this story! This is the final chapter in this fic and I do hope you like it! Do leave comments, I'd love to hear what you think and leave some suggestions if you'd like a Season 2! :)_

 _Now prepare to be hit in the face by a massive block of cheese. ;)_

 _AthenaX_

* * *

Lucy Baker stood in front of the full length mirror, twisting and turning to look at her dress in as many angles as possible. Hilda walked past the doorway and stopped, peeping in to look at a very stressed Lucy, as she fussed and played with her dress. It was nearing the evening of her wedding day and her wedding was about to take place in a few hours.

"Lucy." said Hilda, walking in calmly, "You look beautiful, dear. Stop fussing."

"I…" stammered Lucy, "The dress was made with a lower cut than I wanted it."

"Don't be silly." said Hilda, "It looks absolutely wonderful on you and Alfendi is going to faint when he sees you in that dress."

"Aye, really?" said Lucy, turning around to look at Hilda, "When are the flowers and cake going to be here?"

"Er…" mumbled Hilda, "Who told you about that?"

"Sniffer." said Lucy, folding her arms across her chest, "Seriously Hilda? Why is everything going wrong?"

"Oh Lucy…" murmured Hilda, "It'll all be alright."

"No!" shouted Lucy, throwing her arms up into the air in frustration, "Why isn't this the perfect wedding?"

"Look, Lucy." said Hilda, taking Lucy by the arms and looking her directly in the eyes, "People plan out the perfect wedding for months, but it never goes according to plan."

"Aye, but things don't go wrong this fast and drastically!" snapped Lucy, her face going bright red as she paced around the room like a hungry lioness.

"Lucy…" said Hilda, "I'm on it."

She quickly left the room and a few minutes later, Lucy heard Hilda screaming at the florist and a few other people, telling them to pull it together. Lucy chuckled to herself and realised that the position of maid of honour couldn't have gone to someone better.

* * *

Alfendi Layton stood in front of his full length mirror, adjusting his tie constantly and taking it off constantly. He looked the very definition of flustered and Sniffer entered the doorway behind him.

"Oh come on Al." sighed Sniffer, walking up to him, "You've been fussing over ten ties in the last ten minutes."

"Which tie do you think suits me-" began Alfendi, before Hilda burst through the door.

"Sniffer!" she hissed, "Why did you tell Lucy that the flowers and cake aren't here yet?"

"She has to know-" began Sniffer, looking terrified of Hilda towering over him.

"I'm trying to make this wedding as perfect as possible for my two best friends and here you are trying to stress out the half I'm supposed to be taking care of!" yelled Hilda, turning bright red in the face.

"Well well." said Alfendi, grinning, "Lucy really did make the right choice, picking you to be her maid of honour."

"Oh shut it, Al." snapped Hilda, "I'm in no mood for your nonsense today."

"My nonsense?" said Alfendi, his expression clouding over, "I'll have you know, I'm the one getting married today, not you."

"Yes, I'm aware." said Hilda, her words brittle, "I'm trying to keep your other half from having a meltdown, whilst you're here….relaxing!"

"There's no point worrying." said Alfendi, simply.

"Wh-?!" stammered Hilda, "For goodness sake, Alfendi! You're getting married TODAY, not in five years!"

"Look." said Alfendi, "The reason I'm not worried is that I don't need a fancy wedding ceremony with flowers and a huge cake."

"But-" mumbled Hilda, "You spent ages planning this."

"I spent ages _helping_ Lucy to plan this." said Alfendi, crossing his arms over his chest as he corrected Hilda, "I just want her to be happy and I don't need some fancy wedding to tell her how much I love her."

Both Sniffer and Hilda were now staring at Alfendi as he delivered his heartfelt speech.

"I've waited ages for someone like Lucy." continued Alfendi, "If it's a big wedding she wants, it's a big wedding she'll have. She stuck by me, through bad times and good times and I want her with me for the rest of my life. I'll never find anyone else like her in a million years. I love her with everything that I've got to give and that's why no amount of money or fancy decorations can put a price on how much I'm madly in love with her."

"Jeez." said Sniffer, "And to think you came to us with help for this proposal."

Alfendi smiled and looked at Hilda.

"I know we can argue for England, Al." said Hilda, smiling, "But I promise you, I won't let you or Lucy down today."

"I know you won't." said Alfendi, nodding, "Thanks for everything, Hilda."

"No problem, Al." said Hilda, patting his shoulder whilst her eyes flicked down to his tie, "You're wearing that one?"

Alfendi's eyes immediately clouded in fear.

"Wh-" he mumbled, "Why not?"

"Hmm…" she said, "The blue one you used to have would bring out your eyes."

Alfendi immediately ripped the tie off and dashed over to a nearby suitcase he had that was stuffed full of ties.

"Who's being a panicky Polly now?" sighed Hilda, as she left the room.

Sniffer dashed over to Alfendi and he glared back at Hilda.

"WHY?!" he mouthed, frantically pulling at Alfendi's shoulder as he stared at Hilda.

Hilda shrugged, smiling and left the room.

* * *

It was time for the wedding ceremony. People were still walking in and taking their seats as the priest was setting up everything on the altar. The sky outside darkened and Alfendi nervously shifted from one leg to the other as Sniffer stood behind him, reassuringly mumbling that everything was going to be okay.

"If you say that one more time," snapped Alfendi, his eyes growing darker, "I'll push you down the stairs to this altar."

"Well hey," said Sniffer, "Years ago, you would have said you'd cut out my tongue, but here I am, still speaking to you."

"Well you should run." said Alfendi, smirking, "Lucy won't be here to save you right now."

"Well when she gets here, I should be lucky." said Sniffer, smiling.

"Why do you say that?" said Alfendi, "You think that she's going to run over and save you from me?"

"No." said Sniffer, "I think that the minute she walks in, you'll be frozen to the spot, unable to move or take your eyes off her."

Alfendi was silent for a few moments. His cheeks went bright pink.

"Ah, so I've hit the jackpot have I?' grinned Sniffer, cheekily.

"For once." said Alfendi, failing to contain his amusement and embarrassment as he rubbed his neck.

"Relax, Al." said Sniffer, "You're going to be alright."

Alfendi fell silent again for a few moments.

"This time I know that you mean it." said Alfendi, turning around and looking at Sniffer properly, "Thank you."

He spotted his father sitting in the front row and waved to him. Professor Layton waved back, tears in his eyes already. Alfendi took a deep breath in and spotted Hilda, peeping through the church door at the back. She waved and then gave Alfendi a thumbs up, to indicate that everything was all set.

* * *

Lucy stood nervously outside the church door, flowers now in hand and veil carefully attached by Hilda.

"I can barely see out of this thing, Hilda." said Lucy, giggling as she gestured to the veil.

"Well let's hope that Alfendi catches you if you trip over." grinned Hilda, as she gave Lucy a warm hug.

"Oh please don't say that." mumbled Lucy, her voice shaking, "I'm already nervous enough as is!"

"You'll be alright, Lucy." said Hilda, pulling out of the hug and smiling at Lucy. Lucy smiled back, for the first time that morning and Hilda knew it was genuine.

"Are you ready?" said Hilda, walking behind Lucy and picking up the train of her dress.

"Yes." said Lucy, firmly, "Let's go."

* * *

The organist started to play a beautiful version of Pachelbel's Canon and all the guests in the church stood up as Lucy entered the church. She walked slowly but cautiously down the aisle, as all eyes were fixated on her. She found it slightly hard to see amid the heavily patterned veil, but she could see Alfendi, standing on the altar next to the priest and a broad smile crossed her face and her cheeks flushed bright pink.

Alfendi looked directly at Lucy and it was almost as if his heart stopped beating. This girl, whom he loved more than anything else in the world, was about to become his wife. Tears started to form in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away, knowing that Lucy would never let him live it down if she noticed.

As Lucy approached the altar, she glimpsed Alfendi wiping away a tear and giggled internally. A single tear fell down her own cheek and she didn't bother to wipe it away. The man in front of her would become her husband in a matter of minutes and the thought filled her with instant joy and happiness.

Hilda gently let go of Lucy's dress and took the flower bouquet. She helped Lucy make her way up the three steps to Alfendi and gently let go of her arm, sure that Lucy would be able to make her way up the last step. Lucy accidently stood on the hem of her dress and tripped, falling straight into Alfendi's arms. They both looked at each other, their expressions filled with love for one another and Alfendi gently helped Lucy up, not letting go of her.

"We are gathered here today, to unite these two people in marriage." began the priest, "This commitment is the acceptance of each other as a whole, as a companion,lover and friend. A good and balanced relationship is one in which neither person is overpowered nor absorbed by the other, one in which neither person is possessive of the other, one in which both give their love freely and without jealousy."

Alfendi reached up and gently folded back the veil so that he could see Lucy's face properly. She looked as beautiful as she did the first day he met her; flushed pink cheeks and wide, sparkling eyes. He smiled whilst he looked at her, taking her hands in his. Lucy reached up to Alfendi's face, smiling emotionally as she wiped away the single tear that had just rolled out of his left eye.

"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love?" asked the priest.

"We do." said Alfendi and Lucy in unison, continuing not to break eye contact with each other.

"Do you promise to honour and tenderly care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all the days of your lives?" asked the priest

"We do." said Alfendi and Lucy, once again.

"May I have the rings?" asked the priest, looking over to the side at a young boy wearing a light blue cap and a blue suit. Luke walked over to both Alfendi and Lucy with their rings on a cushion.

Alfendi smiled at him and took the rings from the cushion.

"Alfendi, repeat after me." said the priest, as Alfendi had Lucy's ring in his hand. But Alfendi didn't need to wait for the priest; he already knew exactly what he was going to say.

"I, Alfendi, take you, Lucy, to be my wife." began Alfendi, "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."

Alfendi slipped the ring gently onto Lucy's finger.

"Now, Lucy." said the priest, smiling.

"I, Lucy, take you, Alfendi, to be my husband." said Lucy, tearfully, "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."

Lucy slid the ring onto Alfendi's finger and Alfendi reached up, brushing away her tears with his thumb as gently as he could.

"Go now in peace and live in love, sharing the most precious gifts you have-the gifts of your lives united." said the priest, smiling, "And may your days be long on this earth. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Finally." said both Alfendi and Lucy at the same time. Alfendi took Lucy by the waist, one hand on her waist and the other against the nape of her neck. Lucy placed her hands flat on Alfendi's chest and grabbed the collar of his blazer gently, pulling him down to her. The kiss was gentle yet passionate and neither wanted to break away from the other.

The crowd burst into applause and cheers as Alfendi and Lucy ran down the aisle together, showered with confetti.

"Say cheese!" grinned a girl in a yellow mackintosh, wearing a pink bowtie and dark green boots with her pristine white trousers.

Alfendi, Lucy and the rest of their family and friends posed for the big group wedding photo.

"Thank you, Emmy!" grinned Lucy.

"No problem, Lucy!" giggled Emmy, waving.

* * *

Lucy and Alfendi got into their white limo side by side and Lucy leaned against Alfendi, shutting her eyes momentarily, as the limo sped off into the night, leaving their friends and family cheering and waving after them.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" asked Alfendi, concerned.

"Already skipped to the sickness and health, have we, my dear husband?" grinned Lucy, looking up at him.

Alfendi laughed and placed his arms around her.

"Well, can't I be concerned about you, my darling wife?" he grinned, "Boy, that does feel good to say."

"What can I say," began Lucy, giggling, "Lucy Layton does have a nice ring to it."

"Well aren't you a lucky girl?" smiled Alfendi, resting his head against hers.

"I sure am." she murmured, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek, "I love you so much, Prof."

Alfendi blushed slightly.

"I was honestly _so_ sure you were going to stop calling me that the second we got married." he said, smiling down at her.

"Well everyone calls you Alfendi or Al, but I think only I can call you the Prof." she said, smiling.

"You're definitely right about that." said Alfendi, kissing her head gently, "I love you so much, Lucy."

"I love you more, Prof."

* * *

 _Well that is all! Thank you for reading Professor Layton and the Affection Reconfiguration! Do leave comments and ideas for a possible season 2! :)_


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